Void Bladeworks
by Yashi-Sama
Summary: Ever wondered what will happen if a certain silver haired servant is summoned to halkigenia? This is the story that will change Halkigenia forever.    Archerko story, pairing inside.  for those who don't know archerko, google archerko by himura kiseki
1. Chapter 1

**Void Bladeworks**

**(A Zero no Tsukaima and Fate / Stay Night crossover)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate / Stay Night or Zero no Tsukaima, if I do I'd make Saito and Shirou less wimpy and more manly. (not to mention making Ilya the main Heroine)

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><p>Author Notes: judging from the reviews i've readt most of you don't even know which archerko i'm referring and using for this story, Props to the one who've read Himura Kiseki's Work and know Archerko 3 anyway google "Himura Kiseki Archerko" to know who she is.<p>

Well or just simply Imagine Archerko as an adult Ilya who fights like archer (though fans are diverged on whether She's a matured Different version of Ilya or a matured Shirouko from Heaven's Failure doujin)

PS: here's the List of work starring Archerko

(Sword Dancer I (comedic), Sword dancer II (seriously epic doujin), Plus-Ko (shirouko), and the latest Yuuzai Shouko Bukken Nigou (epic comedy))

She stood there on a hill of corpses, staring at the vast open plains that were tainted with death and suffering. Beneath her feet lay a hundred sinners, a hundred warriors- warriors who she vanquished with her will that commanded countless numbers of steel. She has a long silver hair that she would tie in a braid that mimics the brilliance of the moon. Her fair skin is smoother than the finest silk, and as white as the purest snow of winter. Her body was slender and men around her would always refer to her as the cute and alluring. Her perfectly shaped breasts matched her marvelous curves and successful models would look plain compared to her angelic face. She's about five feet and five inches tall and an exceptional beauty envied by the lesser divines. Branded on her hand is the mark of a hero, a rune she uses to summon her strongest arsenals. She wore the Shroud of Martyr, a long coat of crimson red, to cover her flawless body and pairs it with a black mini skirt that covered a tight fit shorts beneath.

"This again?" She sighed in frustration while wearing a frown as she let go the European short sword that she used to slay her last foe. On that statement, everything around her dissolved and the pile of bodies she stood on disappeared. She landed on a concrete pavement of a street in a city. "Damn it, this kind of job leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Well, at least I can look forward to a good bath in Shirou's house later. All this fighting leave me in a- ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Our heroine was blissfully lost in the thought of a hot steaming bath when a huge hole appeared beside her. It immediately creates a vacuum and threatened to swallow her in.

She grabs on a streetlamp with both hands to avoid getting pulled in but the vacuum was just too powerful, and she could no longer feel strength in her arms. "W-what is this? Some sort of noble phantasm?" While shouting that she looked everywhere for the person responsible for what she thought was an attack. "I – I won't lose to this kind of cheap surprise attack! I- I ahhh!" Though she says that, her grip loosened and finally collapsed and she disappeared inside the hole.

Meanwhile in another world:

"Okay class, this is the day each and every one of you will acquire his or her own familiar. Remember that your familiar will help determine your status as a mage and that familiar will also stay by your side forever until you die so do your best!" While displaying an encouraging smile the professor cheered on his class in the middle of a grass-covered-courtyard.

"_Finally, this is the day I can show everyone what I can do. I 'm sure I'll summon the most amazing familiar ever._" A girl clenched her wand inside her fist with determination. This girl wore a long cape over her white blouse and skimpy skirt- the common uniform for students in her school. She has a beautiful, pink, long hair that she likes to sway freely with the wind. She was of fair skin, had a slender body and about five feet and 3 inches tall. This girl calls herself Louise.

"Uwoh! Everyone's familiars are amazing but I have to specially mention Miss Tabitha for her dragon which was the most impressive familiar summoned today as of yet." The professor gave special attention to a blue haired mage who sat silently reading a tome of spells and scriptures. "Is there anyone else here who haven't summoned a familiar yet?"

"Professor! Zero hasn't summoned a familiar yet!" A tan colored girl with long red hair and breasts the size of ripe watermelons called out.

"Oh, you must forgive me then. Then let's see it Miss Valliere, please summon a familiar." The professor looked at Louise, he was eager to see what kind of familiar the pink hair would summon.

"W-well I…" It was easy to see that Louise was nervous. Even though she was determined to summon an amazing familiar, the constant scrutinizing looks of her peers were eating on her confidence.

"Don't be shy now! I am definitely sure you'll summon a brilliant familiar!" The professor encouraged her.

"Okay…" The girl gave off a big sigh while still hesitant to attempt the summoning. "My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers, heed my summoning... and bring forth...my familiar!" She cries out as she waved her wand.

A flash of light erupted in front of her. While the other mages exhibited a simple flicker in summoning their familiars, the stream of light illuminating from the distortion Louise made in her summoning rivaled that of the sun. From the hole of light a figure was forcefully tossed out by a sudden surge of energy.

"Gah, oof, ow, grah!" The figure which appeared to be a girl cried in pain as she stumbled on the grass.

A long deafening silence consumed the crowd as they observed the girl who was struggling to regain her senses.

"Wahahaha! A commoner, she summoned a commoner!" One of the male students shouted out laughing.

"Yeah! We should have known this Zero will only be able to summon a lowly commoner!" Another student burst laughing after dissing Louise.

"Where the hell am I? And why do I hear laughter?" The girl who was just summoned was covered in small bruises from stumbling on the ground. She struggled to her feet as she checked her hips and limbs for any injuries.

"G-guhh," Louise groaned with teary eyes. Her hope of summoning an amazing familiar was destroyed by the commoner in front of her. What was to be her chance to redeem herself from her past failures was instantly reduced to that of an embarrassing memory much like her other experiences.

"There, there Zero-chan we didn't expect much from you anyway!" The big breasted girl who reminded the professor of her summoning tried to comfort her… sort of.

"W-why is my familiar a commoner like you?" Louise groaned angrily in a soft whisper only the girl in front of her can hear.

"F-familiar, summon? Was I just summoned?" The girl was now on her feet with one eye closed still grasping her hips in pain.

"Now, now children, things like this happen. It's nothing to be embarrassed of." The professor defended Louise and tries to calm the other students. "It can't be helped Miss Valliere, you must for a contract with your familiar at once."

"Y-yes, I understand." Louise approached the girl. "Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers, grant your blessings upon this creature and bind it as my familiar!"

Louise held her familiar's face gently with both hands as she leaned closer.

"W-wait what are you…" Before the girl could continue her line, she felt Louise's lips touch hers. Its taste rivaled that of the sweetest wine. The sensation was overwhelming, almost intoxicating.

"From now on you're my familiar okay?" Louise said with a stern sounding voice.

"I- I don't know what's happening anymore…" the girl's eyes looked like swirly whirlpools amidst the confusion.

Two hours later

"Hey, hey did you hear? That zero girl summoned a commoner as a familiar!" A female student gossiped with her friend while they walk in the school hallway.

"Really? She's really hopeless isn't she?" said the friend before making a mocking laugh.

"G-g-g-hhh," Louise who happened just to be near the two silently groaned in anger. She couldn't deny the fact that while others summoned fairies, elementals and dragons she on the other hand summoned a mere human- a commoner at that.

"So basically, every mage at least once in his life has to summon a familiar that will be bound to him for eternity?" her familiar asked.

"Yes, I'm stuck with you for the rest of my life." Louise replied in a disappointed tone. "What is your name, familiar?" She asked. "I- I mean, I'm forced to spend the rest of my life with you so I should at least know your name. Wait that didn't come out right what I mean is that," before Louise could correct herself her familiar touched her hands gently to stop her.

"Yes, yes I get it. Anyway, my name is Archerko but my friends call me Archer. You may call me by both."

"Okay, I am Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, Archerko since from now on you are my servant, I will have you call me master." Louise says in a firm, bossy tone.

"Master? What kind of weird fetish are you in to?" Archerko quirks an eyebrow in defiance.

"F-fetish?" Louise's cheeks immediately brightened reddish pink. "Y-you are but my lowly servant, it's just natural that you call me master!"

"Hou?" Archerko sighed. "_I've been summoned in a holygrail war before, even then that black haired princess never asked me to call her something so formal like 'master' before._"

"You will stay by my side from now on. Are we clear?"

"Yes… master…" Archerko reluctantly addressed the girl with her desired title but she imagined something unpleasant if she was to decline. "Are those familiars as well… master?" Archerko turned her attention to the magical animals that were cuddling with their owners. There were four near them- an earth mole which was covered with hard armor and had long sharp claws, a snake with three heads and rainbow stripes, a huge bird ¾ the size of an adult man and a blue dragon owned by the blue haired silent girl.

"Yes, while everyone has powerful animals I have you." Louise could not bear to look at the familiars of the other students. She felt disgusted about herself and her inability to summon a good familiar.

"Well forgive me for not having hind legs master." Archerko retaliated sarcastically.

"It can't be helped, carry my bag we're going home." Louise grumpily stood up.

"Yes, yes my lady." Archerko imitated the butlers she sees in animes and bowed down elegantly before taking her master's bag and followed.

"Well, well, I see you're finally bonding well with your familiar zero." The big breasted red hair approached the two just before the exit.

"Kirche, please I'm not in the mood for silly chatter with you." Louise felt irritated just being near that girl.

"That's not too nice. I'm just here to congratulate you for summoning such a cute familiar." Kirche went behind Archerko and embraces her.

"G-gyah," Archerko moans in surprise as soon Kirche started touching near her more private parts.

"Y-you perverted harlot! Stop molesting my familiar!" Louise was flustered to see her familiar get aroused from getting groped

"I can't help it! She's just too cute." Kirche rubbed her cheeks against Archerko's.

"I- I said stop it! And you familiar, you must be ashamed getting all aroused from being groped by this boob monster!" Louise pulled on Archerko's hands to get her away from Kirche.

After a few more minutes of roughhousing about, Louise and Archerko finally reached their home, rather, their dorm. Archerko looked rather disappointed. She imagined a mansion or at least a two storied house not a single room.

"This is your home?" Archerko asked while trying her best not to insult. She laid Louise's bag on a desk a few feet away from the door.

The room was bigger than a normal dorm room. From the door you can immediately see the bed was single but had an impressive design. The bed-sheet had a frilly design hanging loosely on the side of the bed. The most outstanding color in the bed's design was pink. The design itself looked jagged but pleasing to see, fit for a noble. Beside the bed were bed-drawers, there were two. The drawer on the left had a lamp while the one on the right had books Louise reads before going to sleep. A few feet to the right is the closet where Louse has all her clothes stored and opposite that was the window where the view of outside was remarkable.

"I guess, this isn't too bad. This is classy compared to Shirou's place." Flashes of the wooden dojo and her humble room of where she used to stay appeared in her mind. "Uhm, master where am I supposed to sleep?" She asked.

"As my familiar you must be near me always so you may put a cloth or a mattress beside the bed to sleep on." Louise pointed on the cold floor beside the bed.

"E-eh?" Archerko gasped in disappointment and shock.

"W-were you hoping to sleep beside your master you perverted familiar?" Louise stormed, flailing at Archerko.

"No… but I wouldn't mind." The silver haired girl gently squeezed on Louise's arm and seductively whispered on her ear. "Would you want to? Mas… tah?"

"S-s-s-shut up!" Louise's cheeks blushed bright red. It was the queue for Archerko to exit the room and start running.

"Y-you dare seduce your master you mongrel!" Louise grabbed her wand and started firing off bursts of energy.

"I- I was only joking come on!" The familiar dodged the blasts easily, trailing holes and debris for everything she steps on gets blasted by Louise a second after.

It only took a few seconds for Archerko to lose Louise who got tired of chasing her familiar and went back to her room to study. Archerko, believing that it's not the best time to return decides to check out the whole school first, it was going to be her home for who knows how long after all.

"This place is huge, even my castle back home is little compared to this place. Shirou's school is nothing like this at all. I want a top view I wonder if there's any place I can... wait that place looks tall enough." She spots a huge bell tower near the center of the school grounds.

"Hey there, young miss," a voice of a man called out from behind her.

"Eh?" she turned around to see a blond guy flaunting a rose in front of his lips, almost kissing it.

"I can't help but notice how pretty you are, may I know your name?" the guy made an elegant turn before offering his rose to the girl he just saw.

"Uhn, I- I'm sorry I'm kind of busy right now. _What's with this guy?_" She hurriedly tries to run away.

"W-wait!" The blonde tries to run after her but immediately lost her right after a corner.

"That was close, phew." The silver haired beauty sighs in relief as she looked at the guy who just tried to hit on her from the top of a roof. "Now then," she quickly and stealthily started hoping from roof to roof to reach the tower. The tower was high, but it only took her two jumps to reach the top.

From there she could see everything, and with her enhanced eyesight, she can see all the details of nails and screws half a kilometer away. She scanned the area and memorized the outline. She made sure not to miss anything- every building, every visible room, every door, every crack and every tree she memorized all of their locations.

"This place sure is beautiful. I've never seen such a gorgeous view before." She was amazed at the natural scenery around the school and outside it. "Eh, what's that?" Something caught her attention a few distance away outside the school grounds.

Meanwhile

"Ahaha, so our intel was right, the princess really is here." A man whose face is hidden in a hood grinned grimly with his nine accomplices.

"Y-you bastard, you scum!" An orange haired girl, dressed as a knight cursed at him while her hands are forced together behind her and tied with a rope.

There was a carriage that was supposed to be guarded by seven knights but they were ambushed by nine men. Everything came as a surprise and most of the knights were new so they were easily subdued. Three of the knights were immediately killed while some where knocked unconscious. The leader of the knights too lost due to the overwhelming difference in number and because she had to protect the carriage while fighting.

"You have a sharp tongue for a prisoner. But you're really pretty so we'll let you live so you can serve us with that body of yours later." The brute gave a mocking laugh.

"Who would do that for a scum like you?" The female knight retorted.

"No? Well perhaps the lady here can do it for us." He grabbed the princess who was forcefully dragged out of the carriage.

The princess wore an elegant gown with a violet cape that signified her high status. Her red hair was covered with a queenly crown filled with the kingdom's precious jewels. She also wore a necklace which held the most precious of stones that hangs over her neck and touched her enormous breasts.

"N-no, please don't do that to the princess, I'll do anything you want!" The knight knew to save her princess from shame she would need to turn their attention to her no matter what the cost. She failed to save her princess from these robbers, the least she could do was save her from being violated by such brutes.

"You heard that boys? Take them both, we'll have our way with them back in the hide out." He signaled for his men to take the prisoners into the carriage.

"He, heh yes bo…"

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

"Ahhhh!" One of the robbers screamed as the disemboweled body another falls on his feet. The robber who was restraining the princess had his chest completely blown off along with everything else above it.

"W-what happened? W- who did that?" The leader panicked after chunks of flesh and blood smeared on his face.

"It must be one of their backups be ale.."

A gust of wind was only felt before the head of another robber was freed from his neck. This time, a tree behind him caught the weapon used to take him down.

"A-an arrow?"

The arrow used was two centimeters thick. That's one centimeter wider than a normal arrow. It's made of steel and unlike most arrows, it did not consist of a tail, a body and a tip; instead it was a single strip of fine steel with a sharp tip. In fact it looked more like a little spear than an arrow.

"Damn it where are the attacks coming from?" The leader started to survey his surroundings for hints of archers and assassins.

A few seconds later three of his men joined the dead bodies. One of them was impaled on a tree by a similar arrow while the other two suffered a similar fate to the first victim.

"Five of us in under a minute?" One of the remaining robbers started shivering in fear. "T-this is dangerous I'm getting out of here ahhhhh!" The panicked robber frantically runs the opposite direction but after a few large steps, he felt his legs collapse beneath him. The legs he trusted to carry him away from that place was no longer there. They were skewered on the ground with the same arrow that killed his comrades. "No! No! Please not me!"

The robber shouted for forgiveness and begged for mercy but to no avail as his screams of pain were silenced with the next arrow. His chest looked completely hollow after an arrow cleanly went through his ribs, lungs and heart. His death was a signal for his remaining companions that there was no escape, it was either fight or die but how can they fight an enemy they could not see?

"Damn it!" The leader took the female knight as hostage and as shield while another took the princess. "Who is there? If you don't show yourself these girls will meet their deaths on the end of my blade!"

On "blade" the robber who was holding the princess hostage had his forehead pierced by another arrow. This time to their surprise the arrow was of normal size. It was sent precisely to the center of his forehead cleanly missing the princess by a dangerous margin.

"Kyah!" the princess moved away from the corpse of the robber which fell like a log on the ground.

"Oh no! Go after her!" The leader commanded his last remaining minion to restrain the princess. However he forgot the knight he has restrained his arms who was eager beat the living daylights out of him.

"Take this you lowlife scum!" Using her head, she swung backwards and smashed her captor's nose then kicked him away. By this time, one of the other knights who were knocked unconscious regained her consciousness and restrained the robber. The other remaining robber escaped but this time there was no arrow that chased him.

"I'm sorry mam I was so easily…" the lower knight asked for forgiveness from her captain and her princess.

"Enough, it's an insult for me to be apologized to by my subordinate when I myself didn't do anything." The knight captain turned away and gestured for her subordinate to free her from her bind.

"Eh? Wasn't it the captain that killed all these men?" The knight noticed the bodies of the robbers scattered around.

"Think carefully soldier, I'm tied up, how can I do such a thing?"

"I- I suppose not captain." She apologized before cutting her captain's hands free from the ropes.

Meanwhile

"I guess, even here, I'm still a hero of justice. It's in my title after all, the counter- counter- guardian, protector of everything." At that instant she makes a leap off the tower and used the carvings around it as small platforms. Then, upon landing on the ground she bends her knees to act as a spring to absorb the impact of the fall.

"Ehh!" A woman's gasp erupted from behind her.

"Huh?" Archerko looked behind her to see who it was. She finds there a maid with short black hair wearing an apron over her long dress customary for maids in the school. "You are... I'm sorry I must've startled you." Archerko apologized after seeing the shock on the girl's face.

"N-not at all, I was just surprised to see someone suddenly appear in front of me like they just fell from the sky. Uhm… did you just jump off from the tower?" The maid explained.

"Ghnn…" Archerko groaned she knew there was no other way to explain because the girl saw her after all. "Yes but please don't tell anyone." She requests.

"Um!" The girl nodded while still in awe of what she just saw and heard.

"Well I'll go now," the familiar turned the opposite direction but before she could start running…

Urrrrrrr

The silver haired grasped her stomach in pain. She's hungry and all the commotion made her even hungrier.

"I forgot, I haven't eaten yet since morning…" She had a pitiful look on her face.

"Uhm, miss…"

"Archerko. Call me Archerko."

"Oh, then Miss Archerko if you don't mind we have some food here if you're hungry." The maid invited the counter-counter-guardian.

"I'd love to but if I don't go back now my master would get angry." Archerko declined and started heading continuing on the opposite direction.

Urrrrrrr

"On second thought, I don't think she'll be anxious to see me too soon anyway." She hurried to the maid who just invited her for some helping of food.

Apparently the room she entered was the kitchen. It is the place where most of the food in the school is prepared. There were other maids and chefs there who welcomed her cheerfully and asked her to take a seat on the huge preparation table where ingredients were prepared.

"Siesta brought a friend, how nice!" A chef cheered.

"We just met. Here Archerko-san." Siesta laid a plate filled with fried rice, sausages and some vegetables in front of Archerko.

"Thank you so much! Let's eat." Although very hungry, Archerko remembered to keep her noble roots intact. She ate gracefully, careful not to spill a drop of rice or water.

"Wow, such elegance! You must be a noble!" said one of Siesta's maid-friends.

"N-not at all," Archerko paused and waved her head to deny that description. It's not that she's ashamed of her nobility but rather she enjoyed being a commoner more throughout the years. To her, life in the castle was bountiful but it was also a cage. Her life as a commoner living with Shirou, Saber, Rin and the rest of her friends was a blessing she would never exchange for anything.

"Please don't embarrass our guest. So can you please tell us about yourself?" The chef eagerly asked while Siesta and the other maids clumped together around the girl to listen.

"W-well…" Archerko felt that she could choke because of all the attention around her. "I'm supposed to be the familiar of a student named miss Valiere and I was just summoned today."

"Oh. So you're the rumored familiar of the zero!" One of the maids said.

"Zero?" Archerko blinked, she heard that name pertain to her master quite a lot but never really bothered with it.

"You don't know? That girl can never cast a spell and not destroy anything. Even a simple spell to cast light to shine on objects turns to a destructive spell blast comparable to that of a flaming arbalest used by the empire."

"Ah, so that's what that nickname meant." She flashbacked on the instances where Louise would get fired up just for hearing the word zero. To Archerko it was just a number but for Louise it represented her failures as a mage. Archerko felt that she could understand her master more now that she knows the history behind that nickname.

"Anyway tell us about your life before you were summoned!" Another maid eagerly asked.

"Well, before I was summoned I was a counter-counter-guardian." She said this very frankly.

"A counter- counter…?" Siesta sounded confused.

"Counter- counter- guardian." Archerko repeated.

"What is that?" the Chef asked.

"To put it simply, I try to keep people alive who are targeted by powerful assasins." Archerko tried to explain it without confusing them more.

"Ah! Like a bodyguard!" said Siesta.

"No-… actually yeah." Archerko felt disheartened that her accomplishments were lowered to that of a simple bodyguard. But she can't deny the fact that it's true, protecting specific people is certainly the job of a body guard.

"Then Archerko-chan must be really good in fighting!" The chef imagined an Archerko clad in knight's armor, slicing monsters and evil thugs in all righteousness.

"A bit," Archerko avoided bragging in such intense crowd. "Anyway, I'm sorry but I think my master is already worried about me. I have to go."

"It's okay, please come again if you have the time. We'll have plenty to eat!" said Siesta.

"Your name is Siesta right? Thank you for your kindness oh and the food was great! Bye!" She walked outside of the room while waving goodbye to her new found friends then ran hastily as soon as she stepped out.

Archerko rushed towards her master's dorm's direction. This would be her first night to stay with her master like it or not.

Bam

"Grahh!"

"Gyah!"

In her rush she forgot to slow down on a turn and crashed against a group of male students. She knocked down three of the five students on their back with her face buried on one of the student's chest.

"Stand up, you stupid commoner!" The two students who evaded the crash pulled Archerko up by her arms. "You clumsy mongrel you need to be punished for this!"

"Nnghhh," Archerko was still dizzy from the collision. "I'm sorry it's my fault." She apologized.

"You think it's alright to just crash into your superiors like that?" A student held her chin roughly with one hand.

"Wait, wait, don't hurt her," the guy who received the initial impact from the crash made it back to his senses. "This girl, she's quite beautiful for a commoner don't you think?"

"I have to return to my master now, please forgive me, I'll pay for my actions some other time." Archerko pleaded and promised.

"No, if we will just let you go free, other commoners will think that it's alright to behave like that." He replied with an arrogant tone.

"What's going on here? Miss Archerko!" Siesta, the maid who gave the familiar her meal heard the commotion and decided to check it out. "What are you doing to her?"

"Look, it's another commoner who doesn't know her place." One of the students holding Archerko by her arm hissed at Siesta.

"You brutes get off her!" The chef and some other maids followed Siesta on the way to the scene and saw the commotion as well.

"Brutes? That's quite the tongue you have old man. Do you want to be fired along with the harlots beside you?" The student who looked like the leader of the group threatened.

"G-g…" the chew knew that personally interacting violently with these students will only expel them out of the school and from their wages. "Siesta, do you know where miss Valliere's dorm is located? Call her!"

"Y-yes!" Siesta hurriedly run past the rowdy group to Louise's dorm.

"Hey you, wait here!" One of the boys chased after Siesta but… "Gwawh!" Before he could run to make chase a leg appeared beneath his legs crushing his pride and joy.

"I'm sorry but I don't allow filthy scum to touch my friends." Archerko who already completely recovered from her daze was responsible. "It's my fault so deal with me not with her."

"You arrogant commoner!" The leader raised his hand and slapped Archerko. "You dare call us scum?"

Meanwhile back in the dorm

"That darn familiar, who does she think she is acting like that?" Louise can't concentrate on doing her homework as her familiar's face appeared in her imaginations. "S-still… she's quite cute when she… ARGHHHHH what am I thinking about?" In frustration she grabbed her book and threw it on the ground.

"Miss Valliere! Miss Valliere!" A girl's voice called out from outside sounding frantically.

"Eh?" Louise hurried to answer the calls and opened her door. It was Siesta, she was breathing heavily and looks panicked.

"You are…" Louise wondered who it is that was calling her out urgently.

"I- It's miss Archerko she's about to be beaten up by some male students!" She reported.

"What! Take me there!" As if a switch was flipped in her brain, she left everything she was doing behind and followed Siesta to the location.

Back in the scene of the incident, the students decided to bring their prey into the center of the courtyard. They intend to make her as an example to any commoner that would dare fight back or talk back to them. A crowd of students now flocked to the scene to witness the punishment. The large number of people gathering only served as encouragement for the bullies.

"You bitch!" One of them cursed her and slapped her. This was the fourth slap since they decided to punish her.

"Enough this is insane! You shouldn't be allowed to do this!" One of the maids demanded.

"It's your friend here that started it. She bumped us!" one of the boys reasoned using his twisted logic.

"I'm giving you one last chance how about it? Be our personal toy for the week and we'll call it even?" The leader whispered to Archerko's ear.

"I'm sorry, but unlike most girls you know, I actually have taste." Archerko gives of a mocking smile before letting off a weak laugh.

"You…" The leader raised his hand and slapped her again.

"There they are!" Shouted Siesta who just arrived in the scene with Louise behind her.

"Stop this! She's my familiar stop hurting her!" Louise stood in front of the leader to shield Archerko from anymore slaps.

"Ah you're the rumored zero, and that filth is your familiar? How comical. Get out of my way I'm not yet done serving that bitch her punishment!" The bully shrugged Louise away forcing her aside with his arm.

The force, threw Louise's small frame out of balance. She was about to crash face first into the ground but for some reason she did not.

"Eh?" She felt like she was floating, her face was inches away from rubbing against the floor but something stopped her from falling, or rather, someone.

"Uwooh!" The crowd shouted in amazement at what they just witnessed.

Archerko who was restrained by two students somehow now has her master Louise in her arms. She carried her like a princess as she walked slowly to a bench nearby.

"A-archer." Louise blushed as she gasped for breath to recover from the shock of what just happened. To escape from the bullies and catch her would require lots of strength but to catch her immediately after is astronomically impossible.

"Geez master, I can't let these scum bruise your cute face can I?" Archerko teased.

"Y-you! Don't play with us you fucking bitch!" One of the lackeys charged to grab Archerko's shoulder which he did. What he did not expect was what happened right after grabbing the girl's shoulder.

The boy felt himself to be weightless. Time slowed down and to him it looked as if the grassy ground which was supposed to be motionless suddenly stood up. Before his face could touch the ground, his cheek collided with what felt like solid steel. The boy was immediately sent flying back to his leader who caught him and was sent off balance.

"She's good," Kirche who apparently just arrived to watch that moment whispered to Tabitha. "As that guy was about to grab her shoulder she feinted forward to use his own momentum against him. That momentum added to gravity added plus her own physical force made that really powerful kick- a kick enough to send somebody twice her weight flying."

"I just remembered, I'm supposed to be my master's proud familiar. I can't embarrass her right now by losing to a bunch of trash like you can I?" For the first time in this fight Archerko sent off chills against her opponents' spines. She did not need to draw a sword, she did not need to clench a fist but what she did is only say those words to break her opponents' spirits.

Meanwhile in the Principal's Office

There were seven people inside the principal's office- the old principal who had a beard that lengths to his waist, the professor of Louise who witnessed her summoning a few hours ago, the princess of the kingdom, the captain of the royal knights and three injured female knights.

"I am very sorry my princess! If we knew you would be coming to our school earlier than expected I would have arranged an envoy to fetch her highness. This tragedy would not have happened." The principal apologized sincerely with his head bowed humbly in front of the royal princess.

"Please, it's our fault for not going at the appointed time." The princess pardoned. "However I would like to meet our savior if we can."

"Savior?" The old mage was puzzled at what he just heard.

"Ah, here." The female knight took a bag and emptied it on a table. It was filled with the arrows that struck their assailants.

"These are?" The old man observed the items closely.

"Just before the kidnappers were about to take us these arrows saved us. Unfortunately we did not see who used them, or the bow that was used to fire them but from our perspective the arrows were definitely coming from the school's direction." The knight explained while taking the time to try and remember what really happened.

"These arrows are most amusing. Just by simply looking at them you can tell that they are imbued with high-skill magecraft."

"Magecraft? Then we're right to assume our man is in this school?" the princess face brightened with delight.

"Goodness my lady it's the opposite. Such advanced level of magic is beyond any student in our school and none of the teachers can even come close to this ability. The magic imbued to these arrows is a complex array of mystic arts. It's shrouded with the magic to ignore air-resistance and I can sense a reinforcement spell under it as well." The mage was more awed each second that passes while he studied the arrows.

"Reinforcement? That explains how it penetrated the bodies of those men like knife through butter." The captain remembered the clean circular hole the arrow made on the bodies of its victim.

"So is there no one here that you know that could have been our savior?" the Princess asked with a sad frown.

"Well, professor?" The principal looked at the professor who was beside him.

"Don't look at me sir, such complicated art is beyond me." The teacher surrendered.

"If there was someone like that in our school, that someone should replace me as principal for it's clear that he already surpassed me a-hah-hah." The principal joked.

"That's too bad… oh but not all is lost! I would like to visit my precious friend Louise!" she requested with an eager smile.

"Of course Princess Henrietta. I'm sure miss Valliere would be thrilled to see you."

"Yes, to see you would really lighten up that girl's day. She had the most unfortunate experience today." The professor sighed then displayed a frown.

"Mr. Principal we have trouble!" Another professor stormed inside the room "W-wah your Highness!" He was shocked to see the heir of the throne inside the room.

"Please don't mind me, what's the problem?"

"A bunch of our students are ganging up on a girl who is supposed to be miss Valliere's familiar." The teacher reported.

"What? Wait did you say a girl?" The principal felt awkward after hearing what he just heard.

"Yes, Miss Louise failed to summon a strong familiar today. She summoned a commoner of all things." Louise's professor said in a rather disappointed tone. "That poor child, her grades are always top of the class when it comes to written exams and theories, but she just doesn't have any luck at all in practice."

"Bullies ganging up on my friend Louise? I just simply cannot allow that!" while saying that, She had her hands close to her chest close fisted. "Knight Captain Agnes!"

"We're on it my princess!" The captain immediately understood. Henrietta wanted her to help Louise from those thugs. "Lead the way professor!"

Wasting no time, the teacher led the way to the courtyard where students and staff are gathering. It's also there where everyone would witness a glimpse of the true abilities of the silver haired guardian.

Louise who's still confused about the matter approached her familiar and said, "Archerko no, just apologize I'm sure they would…"

"I already did that, that's how I got my first bruise." Archerko playfully pointed at the red slap mark on her face then smiles.

Louise was speechless because if apology won't work then truly there are only two options left. The first option was to fight them and retrieve Archerko's lifeless body after a few humiliating moments. The second would be to run away as far as possible and ask a teacher for help. The second option sounds all too good right now but they're dealing with 4 mages, it's going to be hard to lose them.

Louise tugged on Archerko's coat and said, "You should escape, I'll draw their attention, use that time to run."

Seeing Louise's worried face only made Archerko's smile wider. "You know? A worried look doesn't suite you at all. I won't lose to these mage rejects."

The thugs heard everything and were more aggravated. "Mage rejects? You sure are cocky just because of that lucky shot!"

"Let's see how cocky you are when your face is burned to a crisp!" A bully summoned a pillar of flame around the familiar. The flames looked intense but Archerko kept her calm. To her, the flames are nothing compared to the prana bursts she had to dodge daily every time she stole Saber's snacks.

With a flick of her wrists energy gathered inside her hand which she swung and caused an explosion. The sudden burst of energy dispersed the fire and covered the place Archerko and Louise was standing on with black smoke. Everybody was in wonder at what just happened? Was it some sort of smoke screen spell?

"Above you!" A voice which belonged to Archerko called out to them from the skies.

Everybody looked up to see the familiar shrouded in crimson coat wielding two short-swords ready to deliver two overhead slices. Her red coat made her look like a bloody reaper who was about to take a life. A rune on her glowed, it was the rune she got after the summoning ritual. The line fire mage did not have enough athletic abilities to move fast enough. The two blades sank deep on both his shoulders as he cried in pain. It was a blunt attack so the boy managed to escape severe injuries but the attack was enough to put him to sleep.

The leader of the bullies staggered backwards after seeing his comrade beaten unconscious. "Y-you, you'll use a weapon against a noble? You're in for it now!" He threatened as the he and the other remaining two took out their staves.

The girl did not mind the threat and took a step forward instead. The three mages were casting different spells at her. The leader summoned three metal automatons made of cheap iron. The other mage seems to have transmuted an iron sword from a pendant he wore while the remaining mage started firing off energy bursts from his staff.

Archerko decided to deal with the automatons first because they engaged her in melee. She sliced the first one in half with horizontal slashes in opposite directions before it could launch an attack then used its body as a vault. While she was in midair, energy bursts were precisely fired at her but she easily blocked them with her swords as they neared her. The second automaton got its head lopped off after the familiar landed a falling diagonal slash just as she landed. The third golem was in attack range but she managed to sink both her blades inside its core and destroyed it completely.

The mage that wielded an iron sword charged at her. "You son of a…" He carelessly swung his sword for the girl's throat but even that was easily dodged by a lazy back-step. He was covered by a comrade who fired 4 shots of energy bursts which the familiar easy repelled with her blades.

"How are you blocking my fire blasts? This can destroy concrete walls a meter thick!" The mage was in awe so see the short swords undented.

The familiar grinned and flaunted her blades to her enemies and the audience. "The swords I make are first class weapons." She replied.

Thinking that he caught her off guard, the student with a sword lunged at her again. This time he paid for trying. Archerko simply bent down and side stepped to dodge the attack then swung her blunt blade against the boy's stomach. The mage groaned in pain as he felt the attack shake his intestines. She smashed the hilt of the sword against his chin which threw him back a few meters behind. His brain juggled inside his skull because of the impact and he was already unconscious before he landed flat on his back.

The other mage kept firing off projectiles but the girl just zigzagged her way forward, leaping short distances until she reached her mark. The hilt of her sword found its way on the back of her opponent's neck. The boy was immediately out-cold and slowly knelt down then laid down face first on the grass.

"N-no way, all my golems and them in just a few seconds?" The leader's eyes widened to see his comrades and his automatons defeated so easily. Just before he could say something else he saw her raise her hand and a sword's blade reached his neck. This time the sword was sharp and he can lose his head if he made the wrong move.

Archerko stared at the guys and asked, "Well?"

The loser had an undiscerning and despair filled look on his face when he said, "I- I give up."

Like an uncorked frizzy liquor bottle, the crowd erupted into cheers and started pushing around Archerko.

"W-wahh!" The silver-haired familiar squealed while trying to avoid being squished by her new found fans.

One of Siesta's maid-friends managed to cling on her from behind and said, "Uwohhhh that was amazing! Are you some sort of goddess?"

"No, but if you'd rather refer to me as that I don't mind." Archerko flashed her 'handsome tomboy' look then flirtingly placed her arms around the maid.

The maid blushed as she felt her heartbeat skip a thump, "K-kyahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The maid squealed then fainted.

"Archerko-san you made us worry!" Siesta came running through the crowd with Louise.

Archerko placed the unconscious made in Siesta's arms and said, "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time."

Louise approached her familiar and examined her face with glassy eyes. Archerko wanted to lean away but the crowd around her was pushing her towards Louise.

"You're alright? You're not injured in any way right?" The zero asked in a worried tone while her face is still pink.

Archerko felt her heart rise seeing her master's worried expression. She could not help but hug her tightly like a teddy bear. "You're so cute! Of course I'm fine." She swung the lass while she tightened her embrace.

"M-mouuuuu i-it's not like I came cause I'm worried! L- let go of me you familiar!" Saying that, Louise actually wanted to hug back, being in Archerko's arms remind her of her older sister back in her home town.

While Archerko and Louise were having their moment inside the big crowd of cheering fans. Captain Agnese, Princess Henrietta together with the professors and three other knights finally arrived on the scene. "There they are!" She shouted as she sees the large crowd.

"H-hey look it's the teachers!" The crowd immediately dispersed after seeing the teachers come in with soldiers with them.

The knight positioned to draw her sword to look for the assailants but what she found were only two girls hugging each other looking back at her confused on what she was there for. "What the hell…" she saw the five male students lying motionless on the floor with the exception of their leader who Archerko spared.

"Which one of you here is supposed to be the familiar in trouble?" Agnes asked the two and the crowd.

"Uhmm…" Louise looked troubled, she didn't want for them to find out about Archerko. For some reason, even if she's a commoner, she felt bad thinking about losing her.

"It, was me, I'm sorry." Archerko let go of her master and stepped forward to take responsibility for everything.

The maids and the chef gathered around in front of the teachers and the knights. "Please don't punish her, she's the victim here." They begged.

"I know that geez… we received information that a commoner was being ganged on." Agnese ordered them to calm down.

"Louise! My dear Louise!" Princess Henrietta rushed to Louise's side and hugged her.

Louise immediately recognized who it was because she was best friends with the princess since childhood "P-princess!" She was thrilled to see her royal friend.

"I was so worried when I heard you were being bullied here. Thank god we came here in time. Where are the bullies?" Henrietta wore an angry face while surveying the place.

"Uh…" Louise pointed on the men scattered on the floor.

"E-eh?" The princess shouted in surprise. "Did you do all these? My goodness I didn't know you practiced…"

"N-no!" Louise interrupted, "It was all thanks to my familiar, princess!" She explained then glanced at Archerko who tried her best to keep out of the two's reunion.

Agnes approached the familiar with a look of wonder on her face. "I can't believe this, you took care of five mages by yourself? And I supposed that's the weapon you used?" She pointed at the sword Archer still had inside his left hand, the other one was beside a mage she knocked out.

Archerko nodded and let go of the sword to show her non-aggression. "It was my fault for bumping on them, but I couldn't forgive them for hurting my master like that."

While they were bust talking they did not notice that the leader of the bullies have summoned his familiar. It was a large bird the size of an ostrich with wings that spanned 5 meters to carry its weight. The boy climbed on his familiar and ordered it to snatch Louise by her clothes from behind.

"I won't leave here with my honor tarnished! You will pay!" The disgraced noble caught Louise hostage by the back and began to fly away.

"M-Master!" Archerko cried out and reached for her master's hand but it was too far away.

"Archerko!" Louise called for help and struggled to break free but the talons of the bird have a tight grip on her cape.

Henrietta approached the Captain and said, "Captain Agnes do something!" She ordered.

"It's out of range, if I try to throw my sword from here I might hit miss Valliere." Agnes explained with disappointment and regret. "If only we had… huh"

Before she could finish, their conversation was interrupted with a blinding light emanating from beside them. It was the silver-haired familiar. Her face is filled with anger and determination to save her master. Inside the hands of the guardian was now a silver bow and between it and ready to be fired was an arrow that stretched a meter long.

"Wait- that's!" Agnes immediately recognized the arrow inside Archerko's hands.

Upon release, the arrow's sheer energy and force created a sonic boom that knocked everyone aside. The arrow created a short trail of light as it made its way through the bird's abdomen. The whole length of the arrow penetrated through the enemy familiar and completely reduced it to chunks of falling flesh.

"Louise!" Henrietta cried out as she saw her friend enter a free fall. Everyone shouted in horror for they might already be witnessing the final moments of the girl.

But death wasn't near the girl that time as her noble familiar sprinted towards her. With all her leg strength she kicked the ground to jump 15 feet high and caught her master in an embrace in midair. She completely enveloped Louise in her arms to protect her from the fall as she prepared for impact. Upon landing she bent her knees to absorb the full force and rolled on the ground to soften their fall.

Everyone ran towards them worriedly. "Miss Archerko!" Siesta approached the two lying on the grass.

Everyone was worried that one of them was already dead. But instead Archerko got up and once again carried her master like a princess and said "I'm fine, I'm more worried about my master here."

"Y-you idiot!" Louise scowled while blushing still wondering what just transpired on this breath taking experience.

She stood there on a hill of corpses, staring at the vast open plains that were tainted with death and suffering. Beneath her feet lay a hundred sinners, a hundred warriors- warriors who she vanquished with her will that commanded countless numbers of steel. She has a long silver hair that she would tie in a braid that mimics the brilliance of the moon. Her fair skin is smoother than the finest silk, and as white as the purest snow of winter. Her body was slender and men around her would always refer to her as the cute and alluring. Her perfectly shaped breasts matched her marvelous curves and successful models would look plain compared to her angelic face. She's about five feet and five inches tall and an exceptional beauty envied by the lesser divines. Branded on her hand is the mark of a hero, a rune she uses to summon her strongest arsenals. She wore the Shroud of Martyr, a long coat of crimson red, to cover her flawless body and pairs it with a black mini skirt that covered a tight fit shorts beneath.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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><p>Note: I've been reading all the review and tried to make a better story from the good reviews out there, sadly I need to take some of the review to the kitchen to help me cook pizza since it's not constructive in any way I can think of. Thanks again for the good reviews!<p>

PS: Honestly if you haven't read any Himura Kiseki's work (Sword Dancer I (comedic), Sword dancer II (seriously epic doujin), Plus-Ko (shirouko), and the latest Yuuzai Shouko Bukken Nigou (epic comedy)) I highly recommend you to read it those are EPIC DOUJINSHI! And most of all Safe for work. Happy reading

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><p>The sun was already up when she opened her eyes. She was in her sleeping attire, an elegant white, silk gown that encompassed her entirety. The pink haired nymph rubbed the dust off her eyes, it's still early but when she looked at the sun outside her window it seemed too small, almost similar to how it would look like in the afternoon. It was as if her window was further away. Come to think of it, she noticed that there's a stretch of extra floor where her window should be standing. The first thoughts that came in her mind was that she was still half dreaming. There was no way her room would suddenly be this much larger in just one night.<p>

Louise's body jolted in shock before nearly jumping off the bed after realizing what's in front of her. What she thought to be her imagination was actually an amazing reality. Her bed wasn't moved a centimeter away from its original spot but rather the window was pushed away 5 meters from its original spot. On the place where her window used to be was an elegant bed that rivaled hers and on it lays a sleeping silver haired in contrast to her master she only had her tank top and shorts on to cover her perfect figure. This would be because the familiar was used to sleeping with an air-con on and unfortunately all this world had was an open window. They did not even have an electric-fan.

Louise's eyebrows twitched awkwardly, wondering what happened last night when she wasn't looking. "W-what did you do you shameless familiar?" In anger she sent energy shockwaves at the sleeping familiar.

To her surprise however, the familiar instinctively rolled away safely before her bed was reduced to ashes. "_Has she always been awake?_" Louise asked to herself while wondering how the girl moved from that.

Archerko covered her mouth yawning and lazily looked at her master before asking, "What is it? It's too early in the morning to be throwing a tantrum." She looked hazy and ditzy. Her hair was a mess and one of the strings of her tank-top was lowered down her arm revealing the smooth, fair skin on her shoulder. It's clearly written on her face that she still wanted to sleep in this hot, boring day.

"What did you do to my room?" The flat chested girl asked in a shout while swinging her hands at the other. She did not expect a normal reply because what happened to her room is nothing normal. A room doesn't just simply grow in one night, no, not even the best magicians or carpenters can do that.

"… Well about that… It was so hard to sleep on the floor so I…" Archerko looked almost apologetic as she tried to remember what she did last night.

Flashback to the events of yesterday night

Archerko, with only a blanket to comfort her kept rolling from left to right to find the perfect position, but no matter what she will never find a comfortable spot on that unforgiving floor. The floor she was sleeping in was made of concrete and she only had a mat to ease the pain on her back.

"Fffffuhhhhh!" She moaned to herself while pulling on her hair in frustration. "This is too much… even Shirou'sold futons are more bearable than this!" She remembered the futon that Shirou would lay down for her every time she would sleep in the courtyard every afternoon. "With my abilities I probably can project myself a bed," she said to herself as she sat up."But I'm too close to the door." The familiar noticed the flamboyant night sky outside the window. "Well… I'm sure master won't mind if… trace… on!" With that, a dim glow of light filled the room, thankfully it wasn't bright enough to wake her master up.

Back to the present

Louise could imagine how Archerko did it but that did not matter right now. "I want my room fixed now!" She shouted angrily while threatening to choke Archerko with her little hands.

"Eh? But I spent so much pra… err I mean energy on this!" Archerko remembered that the concept of prana was foreign or entirely different to the world she's currently on and she didn't want the trouble of explaining everything to Louise so early in the and mana are similar but the concept of prana touches the very roots of akasha and it's too long to explain to a mere novice mage.

Louise prepared for another release of while shouting "you shameless familiar!" A burst of energy destroyed the window panes but the familiar easily dodged once again by crawling out of the way. It wasn't one of those graceful and dangerous dodges she would make but it got her out of the pinch.

"If you go on further, your room will really need renovations!" Archerko reasoned to stop her master from going on while rubbing her head which she hit on the floor while rolling just now.

Louise was about to shoot another blast but Archerko managed to come forward and hug her to stop her. "W-what are you doing?" Louise blushed as she felt the silver-head's soft skin rub against hers. She compared it to the gentle caress of her mother when she was young. She struggled to break free but it only made things worse as that caused them to fall off balance on the floor with Louise on top of her familiar while her hands leaned unconsciously on Archerko's breasts. Louise felt the firm yet tender feel of Archerko's breasts. It was nothing like Kriche's bloated ones. She could not help but give them a gentle squeeze which made the familiar yelp.

Knock knock

"Miss Valliere your breakfast is ready, oh the door is not locked, I'm coming in," A familiar voice called out from outside.

Louise was surprised. To try and stop the person from coming in she shouted, "N-no!" But it was too late. Siesta appeared from the opposite side as the door swung open.

From Siesta's perspective it looked evidently like Louise was groping Archerko's breast as she forced the familiar below her. It did not help that both the girls had a flustered look on their face and that Archerko revealed so much skin. In Siesta's imagination, Louise was forcing her servant to a moment of 'playtime' in the morning. Louise is in 'that' age after all, it's understandable.

"I-it's not what you think!" Louise begged to explain while she noticed the expression of shock fill Siesta's flustered face.

"_Ehh? I can use this for some fun._" Archerko thought to herself as soon as she noticed her master's panicked expression. "S-siesta, help me please, master is…" She called out in a meek voice while reaching out her hand acting helpless. She looked exactly like the play-toy slave Louise had in Siesta's imagination.

"Gabyahhhh!" Louise shrieked. "Stop saying misleading things you!" She grabbed the strings on Archerko's tank-top and pulled then shook on it frantically.

"I-if you shake it that much it will…" At that exact moment the tensions on the string gave in and broke revealing Archerko's perfectly shaped breasts. "K-kyahhh!" She covered her breasts with her hands in embarrassment then closed her eyes and looked away. This is the same way how someone who was forced out of their clothes by their lover would look like.

"H-h-hoehhhh!" Siesta who could no longer take the intense scene she just witnessed shut the door close and dashed away. Who knew a maid in a long dress could run so fast and be so nimble?

"Wait! I'm telling you it's not what you think!" Louise tackled the door open to give chase to the fleeing maid.

Archerko laughed at the confusion she just created while her master frantically runs after the maid, "Ahahaha!" She wrapped herself in white cloth to cover herself.

Despite how fast Siesta ran, Louise who was determined enough to keep her reputation intact caught up with the maid then dragged her back to the room. She explained everything that happened and forced Archerko to tell the truth. The familiar was satisfied with what she just saw and agreed to explain everything.

"So you are not really…? It's okay if you are, I mean S and M is common to nobilities I hear." Siesta asked with a shy expression. She still had that image burned in her mind.

Louise crossed her arms while saying, "Definitely not!" She said this with full conviction like she would be arrested if somehow she didn't.

"Such strong rejection only makes it more suspicious Louise." Archerko teased while still holding up the cloth around her to cover her. She gave Louise a sheepish look then giggled.

Louise noticed the lack of honorifics from her familiar and said, "I told you yesterday to refer to me as 'master' did I not?" This was a desperate attempt to change the topic.

"Don't be so uptight. But if you really insist…" At 'insist' Archerko clung close to Louisewhile breathing close to the pink-hair's ear. "I'll be your cute servant and play 'master' with you at night."

Louise gasped what the familiar just said. Her body cringed in slight ecstasy as Archerko's warm breath rubbed against her blushing cheeks. To her it felt like the gentle breeze in a warm sunny day. Something she would always enjoy experiencing.

"Oh my!" Siesta covered her mouth with one hand.

"S-stop messing with me!" Louise pushed Archerko away and took a deep breath to recover her senses. Though she will deny it the thought of having her way with the silver-haired crossed her mind. "_W-what am I imagining?_" Just now the image of Archerko hugging her master lovingly inside her arms appeared in Louise's mind. She shook her head to clear the image and said, "a-anyway call me master from now on! I will not tolerate disrespect."

"Okay, you don't need to be so forceful about it." Archerko who noticed that her master was at the breaking point agreed and gave her space.

Because of all the commotion all of them forgot that the door was still open which left them vulnerable to a more troublesome visitor. A red haired mage peeked to see what was going on. It was Kirche, the tanned mage who had breasts the size of fully ripe watermelons. It seems all the commotion was sniffed out by this trespasser and now she's here to join the fun.

"Ara, what's going on here?" She asked surveying the room for a while but immediately focused her eyes on the naked Archerko. "Aiii darling!" She barged inside and hugged the familiar who dropped the cloth in surprise.

"G-ghnnn," Archerko moaned in arousing fashion as she bit on her finger while Kirche groped her exposed breasts.

"W-what are you doing to my familiar you monster breasts!" Louise tried to push Kirche away but they were interrupted by the appearance of another visitor. It was Tabitha, the blue haired genius who summoned a dragon yesterday. She had her face buried in another thick book even as she entered the awkward scene.

"But it's unfair that only Louise gets to have this perfect body beside her," Said Kirche in a sad tone while feeling up Archerko's curves who closed her eyes in submission.

Louise pulled on Archerko's arm and said "I'm telling you to stop molesting my familiar!"

"My, my, being possessive already? Is she THAT good?" Kirche asked while putting emphasis on 'that' while letting go of the familiar's body who got pulled beside Louise.

"I-it's nothing like that!" Louise flustered more while denying. She had Archerko cling to her arm in attempt to protect her from the tanned mage.

Kirche decided to switch with her attack and began groping Louise's non-existent breasts from behind instead. "Now, now, it's okay to be embarrassed."

Louise arched in surprise as Kirche's hands found their way to her chest. "S-stop it you perverted woman! I'm telling you it's not like that!"

Before they could continue, an angry voice called out from the open door. "Hey you! What are you doing being so loud so early in the morning?" The professor who received complaints about them shouted. After examining the room and saw what he was not supposed to see: a topless Archerko who only had her hands to cover her breasts, a flustered Louise whose chest was mercilessly groped by Kirche; he shouted in surprise and shot blood that gushed from his nose. That reaction was the reaction of a virgin who probably never saw the body of a woman until today.

"P-professor Colbert!" Louise shouted as she and Kirche went to aid the fallen professor. They were not sure if they were to be embarrassed or scared. A teacher just fainted in front of them because of them but then again, they were just seen in a shameful situation.

A few awkward moments later

"Nnghhh," the professor moaned as he started to open his eyes. He could only see blurry figures of the girls' faces in front of him.

"I think he's waking up." A voice whispered. It was a feminine voice, he was sure that he knows whose it is.

"What happened to me?" Professor Colbert sat up and found himself in the principal's office along with Louise and Archerko. He could not remember what transpired before he fainted. He remembered opening the room and then it was all white.

"Nothing important, let's put that aside." Louise replied trying to change the topic because she knew it might only lead to troublesome conversations. She couldn't talk about what happened especially because of the other people in the room.

"Now that the professor is awake we can start talking," said the principal who was in the room along with very important visitors.

The two other people in the room are the Female Knight Captain Agnes, and the Princess of Tristain Henrietta de Tristain. While Agnes had a serious look on her face, Henrietta had a happy smile to wear as she hugged Louise the friend she wanted to see and talk to since yesterday.

"P-princess is it alright for you to be this close to a lowly noble like me?" Louise asked in muffled tone as she gets squished inside the princess' breasts that rivaled that of Kirche's.

The princess frowned for a moment and said, "What are you talking about? Louise is Louise noble or not, mage or not or whatever." She continued smothering the lass inside her arms.

The knight captain looked at the two with a faint smile before turning to Archerko and said "While they have their reunion my main concern is of the lady here." Agnes approached Archerko who wore her usual crimson red coat over her black blouse.

Archerko blinked in confusion. Was it about the nobles she beat up? "What is it?" She asked while doing her best not to sound arrogant.

With that question, Agnes unloaded the arrows she collected yesterday in front of the girl. "Are you familiar with these?" She asked while looking at Archerko with piercing eyes.

Seeing the arrows Archerko immediately recognized who they were. They were the kidnap victims she rescued yesterday while she surveyed the entire area. She does not know what will happen if she ever confessed to her action so she decided the best course of action is to deny everything.

"N-not really," she said while being careful not to reveal anything.

Agnes looked at the familiar's face and saw hints of lies. It was easy to see that Archerko was hiding something, but the knight didn't look angry about it.

"The arrow you used yesterday to save your master was of similar fashion, it had to be you." Agnes persistently asked referring to the events that transpired yesterday before they arrived in the academy.

"M-mou, I said it wasn't me!" Archerko strongly denied while looking irritated, stretching her hands forward while leaning on the table, trying to look convincing.

Louise who was left out of the topic could only wonder on what's going on. But from the way the conversation went she was certain it was about the incident yesterday regarding four unconscious nobles and one dead mage. "W-what's this? If it's about yesterday I can attest for the five nobles unbecoming action princess! Please don't take my familiar away." She begged with glassy eyes.

"Uhmm." The princess waved her head and told Louise that she was wrong. "We condemn what those five did yesterday, their families will be reprimanded. What we're asking of your familiar is of something entirely different."

"R-really?"Lousie asked while deeply overwhelmed with joy that she doesn't have to part with her familiar. "Then what is it? Has she done something wrong."

"Quite the opposite." Henrietta replied and explained what happened yesterday. The explanation didn't take long as Henrietta had Agnes to go on the full details to everyone.

"So you're saying that it's my familiar that saved you from all those kidnappers yesterday?" Louise asked with a curious look on her face. "But my familiar stayed in school for all of yesterday she couldn't have…" The time frame when Archerko left Louise's side and got into a fight with the nobles was to too small for it to be her- at least that's what's on Louise's mind. Besides, as amazing as she is when she fought those triangle class mages, she would never be a match against a platoon of bandits- or does she?

"It's absurd but we're definitely sure that the arrows came from the school's direction and the similarity of the arrows that saved us from the arrow she used to save you is astoundingly identical." Agnes showed the arrows to Louise, from the tail to the tip, everything was similar, it was a perfect match. The only difference is one took the life of a bandit while the other took the life of a bird familiar and its master.

"T-this is unheard of," Louise mouth dropped open after seeing the striking resemblance. She was almost certain that she summoned a mere commoner, but could it be that her familiar is more than what she herself can imagine? Sure her fighting abilities brilliantly unfolded in that for on one match yesterday but if what Captain Agnes was saying was true, then that was just the tip of a mountain large iceberg.

"I can't deny that it's similar but like master said, one doesn't just simply stand on top of a tower and shoot down enemies precisely half a kilometer away!" Archerko defended. "I- I mean that must've what it seemed to you right?" She gulped as she realized she gave too much detail then looked away to avoid eye contact.

"I see…" Agnes narrowed her eyes on Archerko's face. "That's rather detailed, can I hear some more?" Agnes walked forward and examined Archerko's face. The familiar continued to avoid looking at the captain's face and would move her head to the opposite direction every time the knight would follow her gaze.

Archerko stepped back and said, "H-how would I know?"

"Now, Captain Agnes, they might still be tired from yesterday let's not trouble them any further today. And I also want to spend time with my friend Louise." Henrietta ordered. At that moment she clung around Louise's arm who reluctantly followed her friend.

Agnes looked at her princess walk with the lass then grabbed Archerko's hand gently. "I guess it's you and me, I hope you don't mind sparring with me."

Archerko who would never back down from a challenge imposed by another warrior agrees and said, "not at all." She thought of this as a chance to gauge the abilities of the best warriors in this world. After all if Agnes was the knight captain then there should only be a few who could surpass her in battle.

"Wait please before you go may I have a look at the rune on your hand?" The principal interrupted them and examined the rune along with Professor Colbert. "Most astounding, you're free to go about your sparring now."

Archerko wondered what it was all about but let it slide and turned to Agnes, "lead the way then ma'am." She said this with her 'lady's voice' which she always uses to tease other girls.

"The courtyard fine for you?" Agnes replied with the same confidence Archerko displayed. Even though she believes that Archerko is her savior, she wanted to wipe that arrogant smile on Archerko's face.

"The hall not big enough for you?" Archerko returned the taunt.

Meanwhile in the orchard

Louise and the princess needed this perfect opportunity to talk to each other. They are the best off friends and they knew each other since childhood. Because of Louise's studies and Henrietta's royal lineage they had to be separated to go about their destinies. Henrietta would long for Louise's companionship from time to time and have her royal guards escort her to the castle. This however is not always easy because as a princess she also has duties to her people, especially now that the she's probably about to succeed the throne as the Queen of Tristain.

Louise didn't know what to say as they sat together on a bench while looking at the morning sun. She was very close to the princess but she couldn't possibly address the royal highness so casually, that would be rude. "How is everything in the kingdom princess?" Finally, she opens a conversation.

"It's very tiring, sometimes I just wish to be free of it all and live a common life." Henrietta replied with a sad frown.

Louise felt bad for creating that frown on Henrietta's face. She knew that the topic she started was sensitive for the princess. In attempt to change the atmosphere, she asked "s-so, I heard Tristain has successfully signed a peace treaty with its neighboring countries."

Henrietta smiled at Louise, that topic was indeed of a lighter scale. "Yes, we've averted war for now." She replied. "How about you?How's your studies here in the academy?" The princess asked.

"Well…" Louise sighed after looking back at her failures. That was the question she didn't want to be asked the most. "To be honest, I'm not doing good… sometimes I wonder if I'm really cut out to be a mage." She replied.

"What are you talking about?" Henrietta cut Louise with an angry tone. "We promised remember? You were supposed to become a great mage and live together with me in the castle as my court mage!"

"Y-yes but…" Louise remembered that promise they had oh so long ago.

"No buts! The Louise I knew would never give up." Henrietta encouraged her friend and held her hand while staring her directly at the eyes.

Louise blushed and felt uplifted that the royal highness was routing for her. "Yes!" She replied cheerfully. "Thank you for coming all the way here just to see me princess." She said with all grateful sincerity.

"Really? We're going to see that? I am so not going to miss this!" A student's shout interrupted the two's conversation. The student sounded anxious and excited.

"I know! It's not always that you can see a knight in action!" Another voice replied.

"What's going on?" Henrietta asked Louise who waved her head. Whatever's going on it has everybody riled up so the two decided to check.

Meanwhile in the classrooms

It was lunchtime and the classroom was filled with people eating their food. When suddenly someone stormed in looking excited and shouted, "guys! The knight and captain and the zero's familiar are having a go at it!"

Everyone got up to their feet in excitement. "E-eh! Who's winning?" One of them asked with a wide excited look on his face.

"I don't know I think they're just about to start!" The boy reported and everyone from all classes soon heard the news and ran to the courtyard.

Much like yesterday, a crowd of students, teachers and staff started to gather beside the courtyard while two of the best warriors currently in the school stared at each other. On one side was the pride of the kingdom's knights, the accomplished Knight Captain Agnes. On the other side was the mysterious familiar who easily dealt with five triangle mages on her own.

Archerko covered her face with her right palm and said, "this much commotion for a sparring match?"

"I expected as much," Agnes smiled. "It seems the prowess you showed yesterday has garnered you lots of fans."

"Y-you think?" Archerko blushed a bit but tried to keep it hidden.

"You can do it darling!" A familiar voice cheered. Archerko looked behind her to see Kirche and Tabitha cheering for her… Well Tabitha was only looking at her intently but if she was cheering she would be cheering for Archerko.

The silver haired familiar ignored Kirche aside and said "well, we can't disappoint them now can we?" Archerko summoned two of her swords from inside her coat to make it look like she drew it from there.

Agnes unsheathed her sword as well and went into position, "go make it flashy then! Ha!" She shouted as she charged forward in perfect slashing posture.

The first slash was dealt by Agnes that was easily avoided by the familiar with a back-step. The knight followed through with a dashing thrust but her target spun to dodge the attack and used the centrifugal force from that maneuver to send a thrust of her own using her short sword. Being well versed with the sword, the captain side stepped to avoid getting stabbed and swung her sword downwards. The familiar blocked the two handed swing using both swords, crossing hers with her opponent's, then she locked the swords together and kicked Agnes with her right foot and sent the knight a few meters back. On that attack she hoped to disarm the knight but Agnes was too experienced for that to happen and still managed to keep her sword.

"Hwoah zero's familiar wins the first blow!" One of the students cheered while the others followed with a roar. They were like audiences in an arena watching gladiators fight it out.

Agnes held her stomach for a bit and said "that was a good kick," while squinting with one eye. To her it felt like a small hammer was swung mercilessly on her abdomen just now.

"Impressed?" Archerko dashed forward, she would probably deny it but she's having fun on this sparring battle. The battle she had yesterday was nothing compared to this. Her opponent is better and fights back with full courage and determination. Yesterday was a one-sided massacre by an angry goddess.

Agnes went into defense as she recovered from the blow and raised her sword to defend her head. Students roared as the sound of metal clash against metal rangwhile Archerko sank her blades on Agnes' sword with a jumping attack. Agnes pushed the familiar away while she was still trapped in was forced to roll and do a vertical cart-wheel to land on both feet. The captain took advantage of this and went in for a two handed horizontal slash which was avoided by the familiar by jumping over the captain. However, Agnes swung her fist backwards and managed to connect on her opponent's face who leaped backwards as an immediate response.

"Now it's the knight captain!" The students cheered. They were were some who were eager to see the flashy moves of the counter-counter-guardian while there were groups who believed the integrity of the knight's abilities.

Agnes smiled after seeing Archerko's face slightly swell from her back-fist. "Very predictable miss, are you holding back? Come on show me your true strength." She taunted her opponent.

"Heh," Archerko smiled and giggled while she took an offensive stance. "As you wish my lady," she said this while she dashed in top speed to her opponent.

A silver gust, that's how it looked like to Agnes who was shocked just now to see her opponent's speed. "Fast," she said as she blocked a blow that came from beside her. The impact was so strong that she was almost sent off-balance. But before she could recover Archerko was already above her, ready for the next attack.

"Hyah!" Archerko roared as she sent a flying-kick crashing into the knight's breasts. Agnes rolled up to recover her ground but once again found Archerko to be in superior position. "Take this!" Archerko's right knee would've smashed Agnes' face if Agnes didn't react fast enough. The knight captain used both of her hands to shield her face from the knee but it didn't save her completely as she was thrown back and was forced to land on her back.

"Shit!" She shouted while rolling sideways to avoid getting hit again then stood up. The next batch of furious strikes came from below as Archerko dashed bent forward to take advantage of the captain's trembling feet.

The captain was not unprepared for this kind of attack. She, herself, bent forward and used her shoulder to tackle Archerko before she could lunge. The impact caused her to fall forward with Archerko in front of her. Archerko leaped backwards to avoid getting trapped beneath the captain but Agnes herself was quick to recover her stance and dashed forward to follow through. The captain's choice of attack was a one-handed thrust to the girl's shoulder which was sidestepped it was never meant to hit for it was only a decoy to hide her other hand that she used to reach for Archerko's neck.

"Gahhckk!" Archerko choked as the captain's hands enveloped her slender neck and had her back pinned to a tree. She grabbed on the captain's hands and tried to pry the knight's fingers open but years of training strengthened those joints.

"Oh no darling!"Kirche shouted worriedly as she saw Agnes gained the advantage over Archerko.

"I guess you didn't see that coming!" Agnes taunted while attempting to raise her sword to disarm her opponent and claim the win for the sparring match but to her surprise Archerko used Agnes' own strong arm as leverage to raise her legs and deliver a devastating double-legged front kick on the captain's chest. The impact forced Agnes to release Archerko and if it wasn't for her armor she swore she would be vomiting right now.

They both landed on their back but both immediately stood up. Agnes spat to catch her breath, that kick shook her stomach quite well and now she didn't know if she felt hungry or otherwise. "You're not merely a cute face are you?"

Archerko herself had to take a deep breath after that fast exchange. She smiled and said, "and forgive me for doubting how you got that title as captain, I know now that you deserved it."

"Prepare yourself, I'm giving my everything on this next attack." Agnes too was overjoyed with this sparring match. It was all too long since she fought whole heartedly against someone with the skills of Archerko.

"Giving your everything on a sparring match? I take back what I said!" Archerko replied cockily. She was someone who never gave up on the sassy talk.

"If I win, you will admit that you're the person who saved us yesterday!" Agnes shouted. It seems that this was Agnes' plan all along. She had to know if Archerko was capable of such feats.

"And if I win, you will have to agree to a night of sinful pleasure with me!" Archerko replied, the stakes are now raised and her seriousness just jumped a rank as a turbulence of air gathered beneath their feet.

"E-eh? T-that's! Guh whatever! Brace yourself, for your defeat is about to come!" Agnes was shocked about the condition at first but she couldn't afford to lose concentration. On the back of her mind she can imagine her lips closely rubbing on the familiar's own in set for a deep kiss.

"Hwoah that's some deal! I want in on that deal!" One of the male students shouted excitedly. That certainly roused everyone watching.

"But darling what about me?"Kirche felt aroused at what she just heard and complained. Could it be that she, who always attacked Archerko and Louise, will lag behind the captain.

"Che, let's do this!" Archerko invited the captain for the clash and it was eagerly received.

Both of them dashed to meet each other at the middle. Both are careful to choose their sets of attacks, one mistake and it's instant defeat. For the captain it was five precise strikes filled with all her strength while Archerko sent a flurry blows with her short swords. Both of them landed on their feet facing opposite each other and bothseem unharmed.

Chink

That was the sound of one of Archerko's short-swords getting sliced into two. She only had one sword remaining as the two of them faced each other face to face.

"T-the knight captain won!" One of the male students asked. The knight captain would totally be on the advantage now since Archerko who seemed to specialize on wielding two swords had her arsenal reduced by one. However…

"I- I lost…" the captain said this as she turned slowly to face her opponent while blushing. Her sword was cracked in the middle and it only took three seconds of delay before the damage portion disintegrated and ruined the sword.

With that, everyone roared in cheers and praises for the familiar who collapsed backwards in exhaustion. They gathered around the two fighters. Agnes went close to Archerko and knelt beside her to congratulate the winner.

"Y-you're something else. But at least now I know you're 'that' person." She said referring to their savior yesterday.

Archerko sighed deeply and looked at the loser. "Geez, you're persistent, but you will at least keep your end of the deal right?" Archerko winked then giggled weakly.

"A-ah… fine…" Agnes blushed heavily. "Will tonight do?"

"Gah, ha you're so cute being all embarrassed like that!" Archerko pointed while bursting into laughter before sitting up and hugging the opponent she just defeated.

Agnes clenched her fist close to her heart and shouted, "d-don't mock me!" She complained while flailing around as her cheeks rubbed with Archerko's.

With that Archerko did her best to restrain herself from laughing but, "mmmfft you really remind me of 'her'" She said imagining a certain blonde 'king of knights' from her own world. She lets go of the knight and grinned.

"How can such a strong warrior be as silly as you?"Agnes who's now redder than ever scowled. She was supposed to be a proud knight and yet this girl in front of her is making fun of her like this. But for some reason she wasn't angry, but she did feel embarrassed.

Far behind the crowd gathering around the two the male blonde who greeted Archerko yesterday stared in amazement after watching the battle. "A-Amazing." The boy dropped his rose with mouth dropped open. "_I think I'm in love all over again. And when I say all over again I actually meant for the first time!_"

"Hey Guiche!" A female's voice called behind him to bring him back to his senses. It was a blonde female that kept her hair in swirly pigtails. She had a jealous look on her face as she asked, "who do you think you're staring at!"

Guiche turned to see Montmonrancy glaring jealously at him. "M-montmon… please do not be silly you know my heart will only throb for you only."

"Oh, Guiche," Montmorancy moved forward to hug him but unknown to her Guiche's eyes were still fixed on the Silver-haired familiar who was laughing with the knight.

Directly opposite the couple were Kirche and Tabitha who were still deeply analyzing the battle in their imaginations. The last move that dealt the damage on Agnes' sword was sonic fast that they could not even tell how many blows it consisted.

Kirche looked at Archerko and the captain talking together while they rested after the battle, both enjoying the praises of their beloved audience. "All that and they're now so friendly."Kirche said this with an awkward tone. "Louise's familiar, this Archerko I must have her no matter what." She said with forceful determination behind her words. What 'have her' means is totally vague, whether as a friend or something else.

"Worlds apart," Tabitha whispered as if she was responding to Kirche's words.

Kirche took a deep breath and smiled at her friend. "That may be true, but someday I'll find her weakness and she'll be mine."

Attracted by the noise of the crowd and the cheers of fans Henrietta and Louise arrived on the scene. "What's going on here?" They asked.

"I will go check for thee my princess!" One of the knights in charge of protecting the two dove in the crowd to carve a way for her princess and her friend to pass through.

"What could be so…" Louise followed after the Knight to protect her friend. She can barely see ahead because of the dense crowd but she was shocked to see the root of all the commotion. "Archerko!" She shouted in surprise to see her familiar, once again, in the center of everything.

"Knight Captain Agnes I demand an explanation!" Henrietta commanded. She had a disappointed look on her face thinking that Agnes attacked her friend's familiar.

"M-master!" Archerko turned lazily to greet her master. "The captain and I were just testing our abilities on each other, that's all." She tried to calm the mage before the place gets bombarded with energy blasts.

Louise angrily stomped her way near her familiar and dragged the poor girl by her collar. "You… causing trouble again!"

Archerko did not resist getting dragged and just waved goodbye to the captain and everyone else. "Goodbye everyone!" At that point the crowd dispersed because the star of the show has left the scene.

Henrietta approached the captain and asked, "Is that true?" She did not look angry but rather she looked rather satisfied to see a smile on Agnes' face.

Agnes stood up and bowed down before replying, "Yes it is."

"And how was it?" Henrietta wondered what became of the spar.

The knight picked up the weapons Archerko left behind. Her eyes widened in awe when she saw the shocking reality that the swords were not real weapons but blunt objects commonly used by apprentices when sparring. While she fought the familiar using a lethal two-handed sword, and her blade was destroyed by blunt objects. She understood completely that she was annihilated. "Princess, I have a request." She blushed while facing the princess.

Henrietta was surprised, it's not always that Agnes would make such a face. Agnes hasn't answered her question yet but the princess felt the captain's request would do more than just answer that question. "What is it?" She asked.

Agnes' cheeks flared up as she requested "M-may we stay here for tonight?" She asked with her promise to Archerko after the match in mind.

Henrietta's heart filled with joy hearing that request. She herself wanted to stay longer in the school to bond with Louise more. "Yes of course!" She said with delight. "By the way captain you have not answered my question yet." She says this after a soft squeal of victory.

The captain closed her eyes and showed her broken sword to her majesty. "There was no way I could've won against someone whose blades were as sharp as hers." She tossed her ruined sword away. She walked away and left the princess in the capable hands of the other knights as she reminisced on her loss.

Two hours after lunch and ever body in school was still talking about the match. Like before the opinions were divided. Some claimed that the victory should have been for the Knight Captain and Archerko's win was a fluke while some have decided to create a fan-club for the now renowned familiar. Louise and Archerko are in a classroom together to attend a class. Archerko who's not a student in the academy did not have to attend the class but because of what happens when she's not around Louise, the mage decided to keep her close. They were sitting together in front of a desk where Louise sat at the left side and Archerko was on the right side.

"Master-!" Archerko tugged on Louise's blouse.

"What is it?" Louise asked with a stern voice but kept it in a whisper.

Archerko made a pitiful, begging face and said, "I'm bored! Let me go outside of the classroom I promise I won't cause trouble anymore."

"No! Yesterday you picked a fight with five nobles and a while ago you had trouble with the Knight Captain. I'm scared that I'll see you duking it out with principal later if I let you go now." Louise harshly denied her familiar's request.

"I told you…" Archerko sighed trying to explain her situation with Agnes.

"Just be a good girl and sit still this class won't take long!" Louise shouted. Everyone in class looked her way.

"Boo," Archerko lazily sat back and slouched while disobediently pushing her point-fingers against each other.

"There she is! My darling!"Kriche who just entered the classroom approached the two.

"You again!" Louise frowned after seeing Kriche almost instantly.

Kirche sat beside Archerko and clung to her arm. "What's with the cold treatment? Aren't we friends?" She asked at Louise.

Archerko leaned away from Kirche and moved closer to Louise. As a person she's an aggressive attacker and constantly uses her appeal to get to everyone but she was never really good at defending herself from similar attacks.

"Don't you have anything better to do than to violate my familiar?" At that point Louise stood up and exchanged places with Archerko to get in between them.

Before they could get it on further, another person entered the classroom. It was professor Colbert holding a tray filled with materials. Inside they tray were metallic ores, strips of wood and some stacks of fabric. There were also some tools like a hammer and a dagger.

"Okay class, it's time for our lesson. Please get back to your seats." Professor Colbert set all his equipment on the table.

"Eh, how boring… Let's see each other again later darling." Kirche waved goodbye to Archerko who returned it with a forced smile. Kirche returned to her table which was further at the back of the room.

"Erhem, anyway our lesson for today is reinforcement." Professor Colbert started to explain.

"_Reinforcement? This could be a good thing for me after all._" Archerko who specialized in tracing and projection knew perfectly what reinforcement was about. But she wondered the difference of the concept in the world she's currently on.

"Rather than explaining it, it would be better to show you by hand." He took out a hammer and a piece of rock from his materials. "This rock is just an ordinary rock. Using this hammer…" he raised the hammer and struck the rock lightly which broke into two, "it's easy to destroy this." He took out another rock which looked similar to the last one. "Now observe." He took his wand and waved at the rock. A glimpse of light flickered but the rock was unharmed.

"_Not bad._" Archerko thought and smiled. She knew something changed within the rock while the others see nothing.

"Seems like nothing changed? Not exactly." Colbert took the hammer and pounded the rock similarly to what he did to the first one. To everyone's surprise the rock didn't break.

"The rock wasn't even chipped?" Louise was awed. This is the first time she saw this kind of magic. "So that's reinforcement."

"By shrouding objects with our mana we can make things sturdier. That's reinforcement magic. Experts in this field can make wooden shields stronger and repel metal swords and spears." Colbert explained with an enthusiastic smile on his face.

"It's different." Archerko said in a whisper.

"What's different?" Louise turned and wondered what Archerko was going on about.

"Nothing, I just remembered something." The familiar replied. "_Their reinforcement strengthens objects by covering it with a layer of mana. My reinforcement changes the object in molecular level to raise its overall sturdiness by a rank or more._" She thought to herself.

"If you're going to reminisce like that, it's better to listen to the professor. A commoner like you can learn a thing or two." Louise lightly scolded Archerko.

"So isn't it similar to a mana armor sensei?" Kirche asked from the back of the class.

"Precisely, but you'd be wrong to say that this kind of magic is for defense alone." Colbert shrouded the hammer this time with his mana. He struck the rock again and this time it broke easily like the last rock. "Using it on objects like swords, hammers, spears and other weapons make their offensive capabilities significantly better."

"That's a pretty useful magic, maybe we can use it to reinforce the classroom when zero is practicing her spells!" One of the students joked and was received with laughter.

Louise ignored the rude comment and continued to listen to the professor. She wouldn't show it but Archerko noticed the trembling fist Louise hid under the desk. Of course she was mad. Everyone just laughed at her, nobody would be alright after that.

"Now, students, I'm not going to tolerate bullying of any kind while I'm inside the classroom!" Colbert calmed the class and scolded the student. "In fact, missValliere, would you please try the spell first? It's a very easy spell." Colbert approached Louise's table and placed a rock on top of it. He wanted to give Louise a chance to show everyone how wrong they are.

"Y-yes," Louise took out her wand and prepared to gently release her mana around the rock. With a flick of her wrist her mana shrouded the rock as Colbert's did. However after everything seemed okay, the rock began to corrode until the rock just disintegrated into dust.

"I- I… well you must remember to control your mana when using this type of magic." Colbert sighed, his attempts to redeem Louise backfired. "Mana is used on both offensive and defensive, so be careful on how to apply it with this type of magic."

Louise felt comforted to have her teacher explain where she could have failed but she knew it wasn't that. She applied her mana carefully and perfectly with reinforcement in mind but she still failed. Her eyes swelled up, almost in tears when Archerko suddenly said, "excuse me may I try doing reinforcement?"

Everyone was surprised to hear this from Archerko. A commoner using magic? This is unheard of. Some people laughed while other people anxiously waited on what will happen. Kirche and Tabitha were one of those who were eager while from the other side of the classroom, Montmonrancy and the others with her found this to be blasphemous and time wasting.

"Certainly, it would not hurt to try." Colbert placed another rock on Louise's desk. "Do you have a wand miss?"

Archerko waved her head, "nope but I don't need one." She said with full confidence. She raised her hand over the rock and imagined the perfect composition to strengthen it. There was no flicker of light, no sound or other effects- just a commoner with her hand hovering over a rock.

"What is she doing?" A student asked.

"I get it! She's praying for it to get sturdier!" The same guy that made a joke on Louise shot again. This time only few laughed at his rude comment.

"Lend me the hammer please," Archerko grabbed the hammer from Coblert's hand and smashed it on the rock with full force. A huge thud erupted from the classroom. To everyone's awe the rock stood still and unmoving, it was perfectly intact. There were no breaks, no scratches and no dents. What was more surprising is that the metallic hammer's head that she used to crush the rock now horribly bent backwards.

Half the class stood up in shock. Colbert himself was speechless, not even experts can do something so profound without using a wand or staff. Even he, as a veteran practitioner of magic, cannot reinforce something to become so strong that can withstand a full blunt blow with an unrestrained force.

"S-stupendous!" Colbert praised as he raised the rock in front for everyone to see.

"Amazing right?" Archerko giggled playfully. "I'm the familiar of Louise Valliere after all!" She said with amazing confidence before looking at the direction of the joker who kept making fun of Louise then took her seat. The guy cowered silently before drowning on his own saliva.

After that, the class went on with everyone trying their best to use reinforcement magic. None of them came close to the indestructible rock Archerko just reinforced. Even Kirche and Tabitha could only reinforce it to a level where it wouldn't break when it's dropped but not withstood a blow from a hammer.

"Superior fighting prowess and now this, just what is she?" Kirche smiled while staring lovingly at Archerko from behind. She held the remains of the rock she just reinforced and compared it to the rock displayed on the teacher's table. She's now more interested in the girl than she was before.

The class only lasted a little over thirty minutes. Louise immediately dragged Archerko away by the hand before Kirche or anyone else could bother them.

"Louise, what's the hurry?" Archerko complained with an 'I'm being bullied' face.

"You stand out too much!" Louise replied while she continued to pull the familiar by the arm.

"But I'm just showing them what I'm capable of as your familiar." The guardian reasoned while still moaning rebelliously from getting dragged.

Louise paused after hearing that. Her face was red as she turned to her familiar and said "thank you," with sincere gratitude. "B-but don't be cocky, it's to be expected from my familiar after all!"

Archerko noticed the faint blush on her master's cheeks. "_Can't she just thank me simply?_" She thought to herself. "Where are we going?" She asked before getting dragged again, this time she followed obediently.

Louise paused and pointed at Archerko.

"Eh? My breasts?" Archerko blinked as she looked at Louise's finger close to her chest.

"No!" Louise cried. "Your clothes! You've been wearing the same thing since yesterday! We're going to buy you some."

Archerko smiled delightfully hearing that. She thought about projecting her own clothes at first but she was never really good with aesthetics and design. The bed she created with her imagination was copied from Rin's original bed back in her world but she lacks knowledge about creating clothes in this world.

"Really?" She asked Louise anxiously.

Louise saw how happy that made Archerko and felt happy herself. "Yes so be proud cause your master is going to bring you to the best shop there is in a town near school."

Meanwhile in Principal's Office

"This is the result of her reinforcement you say?" The principal examined the rock which was brought to him by Professor Colbert.

"Yes, and she didn't even use a wand." Colbert replied with a puzzled look on his face.

"But this rock isn't even infused with mana. Are you sure it wasn't indestructible even before she reinforced it?" The professor looked lost in thought.

"I'm positive. It was just a fragile rock before she reinforced it." Colbert confirmed. He shared the same confused look the principal had. "And about the rune on her hand…"

"Ah yes," the principal took out a book he prepared and laid it on the table in front of the professor. "Gandalfr, that's the mark of the Gandalfr, the left hand of god."

Colbert's eyes widened after hearing the term 'gandalfr', "The familiar of the legends?" He asked.

"Among familiars there are those who excel, they are the special familiars who defy common thinking. They are so special that they are named after parts of the divine, and one of them is the left hand of god." The principal continued to explain.

"But only a void mage can… you don't mean." Professor Colbert for some reason can imagine the destruction Louise's magic always causes. Even the easiest spells results in a catastrophic explosion that rivals that of a deliberate fireball.

"Did you ever notice that no matter what element she tries to master she never gets it right? The only explanation therefore would be that she's not suited to any of the four elements. But if it were the fifth-…" The principal paused.

"Then it's understandable why no one could ever teach her proper magic… now everything's clear." For an apprentice mage to reach excellence, a master of the same art who can teach him magic must be present. But if there was no master who practices the same element present then an apprentice will never achieve anything. Especially if the masters present are to teach the apprentice of something incompatible.

After class the two girls immediately head for the town in a carriage where many people roamed the streets. Archerko was awed by how it looked. To her this town is almost identical to medieval Europe: the houses were made of bricks and so was the road and the people wore clothes similar to the medieval era. There were vendors everywhere, some were selling weapons, some were selling potions and some were selling mage wardrobes. Knights also patrolled the place, they were not many but they were enough to repel a bandit attack if one was to ever got off the carriage when it arrived in a three floored structure, it was the biggest structure there was in that town.

"Is this the place?" Archerko asked while her eyes spanned the entirety of the structure's front façade.

Louise nodded and said, "yes, this is the best place to buy the best clothes, weapons and items. There are better places to be found across the kingdom but we'll have to take a boat or a ship."

"_So this would be like the mall of this world._" Archerko compared that building to the towering malls of Japan.

As soon as they went inside, Louise was greeted by many of the store's staff. It seems that she's a frequent customer in the place so everyone treated her with priority. Almost like a VIP in Archerko's world. Inside looked exactly like a regular merchandise store. The products are placed on racks. The floor they were currently on had weapons of all kinds: axes, swords, spears, javelins and bows you name it. The armors and clothes were on a different floor, and that's where they are headed.

"Miss Valliere, it's so nice to see you." One of the salesclerks approached her and offered to take her cape which Louise graciously denied.

"I'm looking for clothes for my familiar." Louise pulled Archerko and introduced her to the clerk.

"Oh my, she is a beautiful one isn't she?" The clerk was awed by the familiar's beauty.

"Louise!" A voice called from behind.

Louise turned to see who it was. "P-princess!" She gasped. Did the princess follow her here? Or maybe the princess was having her own shopping time.

"I didn't see you at the academy so I decided I would go shopping first. To think I'd find you here." Henrietta happily hugged her friend. Behind her was the knight captain Agnes.

"So you're here too." Agnes noticed Archerko behind Louise who was talking with the princess.

"Ah, you." The counter-counter-guardian recognized her sparring mate from a while ago. "Weird, I didn't recognize you to be the shopping type."

Agnes' eyebrows twitched on that remark. "I am just accompanying the princess." She said while putting emphasis on 'just'.

"Okay, but it would be a good idea to replace that broken sword of yours." Archerko pointed on the two-handed swords weapon rack.

"Okay, now you're just rubbing it in." Agnes' frowned a bit. "And maybe you can find yourself a real weapon."

"Eh?" Archerko gasped. "So you found out."

"I feel insulted, taking me on with blunt daggers. Those were nothing but toys. And yet…" Agnes glared at the familiar.

"Miss, please give my friend anything she wants and put it on the Royal Tab." Henrietta interrupted their conversation.

"Of course!" The clerk happily agreed.

"P-princess we can't just…" Louise stuttered and felt embarrassed to have the princess treat her to something like this.

"Please! I'd be insulted if you don't." Henrietta wore a sad face that Louise couldn't simply say 'no' to.

"O-okay…" Louise closed her eyes and sighed. She could never win in an argument like this with the princess.

"Well then go on now, buy what you want, me and the knight captain need to look for a replacement sword for the one she broke…"

Agnes gasped and blushed. "P-princess y-you can't just!"

"Eh? So you were here to shop after all…" Archerko teased the knight and grinned.

"Ugh… anyway we've already crossed swords and yet I do not know your name."

"Archerko," the familiar replied.

"Agnes, I hope to meet you in battle again." Agnes smiled. "O-oh and…?" She blushed while her legs were uncontrollably shaking.

"Hmm?" Archerko wondered what it was that Agnes was trying to say that she's trembling.

"A-about tonight, I- I'm looking forward to it. W-well I have to go now." With that, the captain rushed beside her princess to search for a worthy sword.

"About tonight?" Archerko wondered.

"Archerko let's go, the clothes are located at the second floor." Louise tugged on Archerko's blouse and dragged her to the second floor.

On the way to the second floor Archerko couldn't help but wonder what it was to happen tonight that Agnes was looking forward to. "_Tonight… tonight…_" She remembered the events of her fight and what was said before it started. The deal both of them had, the deal that she made jokingly to catch her opponent off guard, the deal that she won and the same deal that they now MUST honor. "Ehhhhhh!" Archerko shouted as she remembered exactly what it was.

"What has gotten into you?" Louise asked the dumbstruck familiar.

"N-nothing…" Archerko waved her head, still flustered.

"Madam, I'm here to help you choose the best clothes for the beautiful lady." A clerk who managed the clothing department approached Louise to help them with their shopping.

"Thank you, we need about a dozen clothes for every day the same number of sleeping wear, about three for travel and a special dress for special occasions please." Louise smiled and accepted the help.

Archerko felt weird hearing how many clothes Louise was prepared to buy for her. Although it's true that it's virtually free since the princess will pay for everything, there has to be a catch later on. She would decline the offer but it's true that she has nothing to wear in this dimension. But other than that she was more concerned with what was to happen tonight. Agnes probably agreed to keep her word as a knight, if so then it would be easy to let her go of the deal. But what if Agnes took the deal seriously? Turning down a lady is something Archerko never did, especially to a girl who reminds her so much of the king.

"Young miss please step inside the dressing room I have so many clothes for you to try on." The homosexual clerk pulled the curtains aside and invited Archerko in. In his hands were extravagant looking dresses which Archerko thought to be the 'special occasions' type of dresses.

"Aren't those too many to be for special occasions?" Archerko asked looking at the pile of clothes inside the guy's arms.

The clerk giggled and said, "Oh you flatter us dearie, these are to be your casual wear."

"No really?" Archerko gasped in surprise. She imagined her casual wear to be something like Louise's uniform, but then again the only reason Louise is probably wearing them is that because they're required. The normal casual wear then would be something like this- the first set of clothes she was introduced to was a matching set of a white blouse and white shorts. The white blouse had a tail that made it look like she was wearing a short cape. The whole blouse was embroidered with blue threads and the center design of its back was the logo of the kingdom of Tristain.

"Oh and please wear these too!" The clerk handed her some fine pink underwear that were probably made with the most expensive cotton in the kingdom.

"D-do I really need to…" Archerko blushed after seeing how dashing the underwear looked. It was basically something you wear to draw in mates for a close up. In her world this would almost be considered something of the 'string'.

"Non-sense! Having a beautiful body is a privilege and a job! You have to look good and feel good at the same time!" The clerk sounded like a politician introducing his new project to the society. Archerko swears she can imagine a flaming aura around the clerk's façade.

"I- I see," the familiar finally agreed to put everything on.

"So how is it?" Louise asked the clerk who just came out of the dressing after waiting a few minutes.

"Everything fits her perfectly!" The clerk replied after moving the curtain.

Archerko looked magnificent inside that white blouse. The shorts complimented her white skin perfectly and gave everyone the impression that she was a snow fairy. The tail of her blouse imitated that of the royal cape nobles would wear. The blouse itself fit her chest rather tight and helped shape her breasts for everyone to adore and the short collars emphasized the face of the goddess that rests above her neck.

Louise's eyes gleamed with adoration. This girl who is supposed to be familiar looks exactly like the most royal members of the kingdom. If she didn't know it, she would think that the girl was a princess from another land.

"S-so how do I look?" Archerko asked and turned around have a feel of everything. The clothes felt tight but not uncomfortable. It was only a little tighter than her usual blouse that she wore under the Shroud of Martin.

"I- I…" Louise was speechless. "I mean, you look okay, now don't waste our time and try the others!" She ordered.

It took them quite a long time to try on every dress the clerk had for Archerko's daily needs. They all looked amazingly beautiful on her and everyone in the store even decided to act like they were buying just to see the girl in a new dress. Archerko would notice the drooling on lookers and blush as she tries to avoid eye contact. Sometimes she would notice the awed expression on her master's face and she would forget that there were other people watching and give out a cute pose for Louise who would be flustered while scolding her familiar. It took them an hour before finally trying on the dress that was meant for special occasions.

"And now the prize of the day!" The clerk put out the best dress he had in the shelf. The box it was in was so heavily designed that it looked like a 'crown box' where crowns would be safely stored as it travels down the red carpet of royalty before it's placed on the king's head.

"Wait!" Louise shouted before preventing the guy from opening the box.

"I-is there a problem?" The clerk was nervous and worried that he did something to anger the noble. If he did, he's probably going to be fired the next five minutes.

"W-we take it! Please pack everything." She said while blushing.

Archerko who was still inside the dressing room could not see what was going on and said, "uhm can I come out now?" Nobody responded to her so she just waited patiently inside.

"M-miss if there's a problem p-please tell me I can…" The clerk tried to know what it was that was bugging Louise.

"I-it's nothing," Louise said in a whisper. "It's just that… I feel like I don't want anyone else to see her in these special clothes for some reason." She continued in a whisper while looking away flustered. The thought of other people adoring her more gives her a tight feeling in her chest. She didn't want other people gawking at her familiar.

"Oh… oh my…" The clerk himself blushed and smiled. "I understand. Then I'll pack everything. It's already paid by the princess. It's an honor to be of service."

"Archerko we're going!" Louise commanded.

"Hmm? But I thought…" Archerko was surprised because she was still waiting for the final dress.

"Do you want to flaunt your body to everyone you hussy! Wear these." Louise said and threw her the first clothes she tried on- the white blouse and white shirt then pulled Archerko out of the dresser. "Now we have to look for some weapons."

"Weapons I don't really…" Archerko wanted to explain that she creates her weapons herself but before she could speak another word the clerk happily directed them downstairs to best weapon store there is.

Henrietta and Agnes were still there when Archerko and Louise went back down. They were arguing on what weapon to buy, Henrietta insisted on the golden jeweled sword that the store was so proud about but Agnes argued that it was only for decoration. It was rather ridiculous that they were taking more than an hour to look for a sword, but then again this was the princess. A princess must look her best and so does her knights.

"Louise!" Henrietta approached Louise and Archerko who descended from the stairs. "Are you finished shopping? Oh… Archerko you look so cute in that." Henrietta noticed the different set of clothes Archerko was wearing.

"Thank you," Archerko smiled in reply but was immediately scolded by Louise.

"Archerko speak more respectfully to the princess!" Louise demanded.

"Oh please don't, I find it refreshing to talk normally instead of being treated as royalty the entire time." The princess requested. "Knight captain Agnes come look at her doesn't she look just wonderful?" Henrietta called Agnes.

"Well I… I…" Agnes' eyes were fixed on the lovely body of the familiar. The red coat she usually wore covered her marvelous thighs but now Agnes has a glimpse of what she will be having tonight.

"Hmm?" Archerko tilted her head at Agnes who covered her face and turned away.

"Excuse me," with that she ran outside and escaped the question. She ran so fast that she almost toppled a shelf if not thanks to a clerk who supported it just in time.

"Captain," Henrietta called out but the knight was already out of sight. "I guess, complimenting people is a hard job for knights." Henrietta wondered.

"I agree," Louise who still had her eyes on the creaking door nodded her head.

Archerko was silent because she thought maybe the captain was acting weird because of the deal. Maybe the captain felt bad about it. She decided to run after her to apologize before things escalate into a more troublesome situation.

Louise and the royal highness were surprised as they felt a soft gust passed beside door swung open as the nimble familiar dashed after the knight. She didn't see where Agnes went but the trail of surprised people was a tell-tale sign. It was not long before she finally saw Agnes near an alley. The knight was no longer running, she was just walking with her hands on her hips while she was muttering something to herself.

"Captain Agnes!" Archerko shouted as she neared the knight. However just as she sprinted, three men appeared from the alley and just as the day before, she accidentally crashed unto the strangers. She yelped in pain along with the men she bumped into.

"Hey girl watch it!" One of the men who looked like an ex-convict scolded her.

"Ugh, I'm sorry." Archerko rubbed her aching head as she slowly got up on her feet. The situation was all too familiar.

"Sorry? That's bullshit! Hey boss she looks hot." One of the three thugs who seemed like one of those in the lower ranks interrupted. Compared to the boss who looked like a huge bulk of meat this one looked thin and agile.

"Ye-heah!" The remaining thug cheered. "Hey girl why don't you make it up to us in the way we know how." The thug advised. This is really quickly turning to a repeat of the incident with the five nobles, but this time no one would miss these fools if let's say… someone were to summon an unlimited number of swords and turn them into mincemeat.

"A-actually, I have to meet up with someone…" Archerko remembered one of the lessons she learned from Rin. According to Rin the best way to get off someone who's trying to hit on you is to look like you're already taken. Archerko would usually use Shirou as 'that' person but there's no one close enough to fit the description nearby… well… except Captain Agnes but that's an entire different matter.

"Meet? Here in a dark alley? You must be more daring than we thought." The leader quickly found out about the lie. "Or are you trying to make a fool out of us?" This time the leader had an angry, threatening face.

"You guys…" Archerko groaned, her temper is nearing her limit. "Please get out of my-…" Before she could warn the three, one of them dropped unconscious on the ground. The person responsible- Captain Agnes,used her steel scabbard just now to knock the guy out.

"A- a knight?" The leader stepped back after seeing the uniform of the Knight Captain. He's a part of an underground group who would hate nothing more than to mess with a knight, especially a Knight Captain.

"That's captain to you!" Agnes said with authority as she moved forward with her scabbard ready to strike.

"You bitch, that's only a scabbard!" The leader drew a knife from his pocket and so did the other guy. They do not look like people who understood the way of the sword, but being a part of the underground surely they're used to the use of daggers and other stealthy, cowardly weapons.

The thin guy attacked first but was quickly repelled by a swing from the scabbard. He dodged the swing but the follow through of a thrust got him perfectly by the stomach. He groaned in pain before he experienced the shin of the captain under his chin. The muscular leader was the next and the last to try his luck but before his dagger could reach near the captain, the scabbard met his index finger. He cried out in pain as the tip of the scabbard crushed the bones on his index finger. The pain was no longer bearable and he dropped to his knees with his face distorted in excruciating pain.

"You have this chance to leave, so leave!" Agnes raised her sword to strike again but the thugs quickly grabbed their unconscious friend and hurriedly ran away. They knew they were beat, with an unconscious mate and a broken finger the best chance they had against the knight was if a lightning bolt suddenly struck her.

"Thank you," Archerko smiled with full gratitude as she laughed at the fleeing goons. "Or was that a part of your daily duties?"

"Save you? I was saving them." Agnes replied. She wasn't joking. If things were allowed to continue, if Agnes didn't take them out, Archerko was ready to show them heaven's feel, with that I meant how heaven would feel when you're forcefully sent to it.

Archerko frowned at that comment but laughed soon after. "That's I look that violent to you?" She said while putting up a cute horizontal peace sign above her face.

"Ah!" Agnes covered her blushing face again after seeing that irresistible face. "L-listen I… I…" She struggled to say what was on her mind.

"Captain… about the deal… if it bothers you that much…" Archerko was the first to start the conversation. She assumed that the captain's actions are linked with the deal.

"N-no it's not…"

"I was only joking anyway, so please don't let it-…" Archerko attempted to continue but her lips suddenly were stopped by something soft. Before she knew it, the captain's lips were already rubbing with hers.

Archerko closed her eyes to the sensation. The captain's lips were similar to the sweet taste of strawberry. No, it was a little different. It's the kind of sweetness that you would be immersed into. Everything went by so fast. After a second later she was looking at Agnes' eyes with a blank expression on her face. She raised a finger to touch her own lips then covered them gently. The thought that maybe everything was just a dream crossed her mind but the next words from the captain quickly brought her back to reality.

"If you're going to cancel it, then I will take this as collateral." The knight said teasingly after ending the kiss. Her face was still only a breath away from Archerko's lips. Before the silver haired girl could properly regain her senses, the knight forced her lips against the familiar's once more before giving her a soft embrace. This kiss was longer and more passionate. The counter-counter-guardian who was in the receiving end could barely breathe but found it hard to push the knight away.

At the end of the kiss, Archerko immediately backed away and yelped, "Funyah!" She was breathing heavily while the knight just smiled at her. "T-that's…" If the knight was a boy, it would have been easy for her to simply kick him in the groin and walk away. But Archerko always had a thing for other cute girls who she could barely stand to hurt.

"Think of that as my revenge for humiliating me with blunt swords." Agnes walked pass Archerko with a teasing smirk on her face. She felt better now. She's not entirely sure how she felt about the other girl but she didn't care about that now. For today the gentle taste of aged liquor that rivaled the best cocktails that she tasted on the guardian's lips is enough.

"You…" Archerko felt somehow defeated. She, who's always used to be on the attack in her world, just lost this 'battle' against Agnes.

Before Archerko could think of a good comeback they were called by the princess and the mage. They looked worried, especially Louise who had a murderous expression. The two knew better than to stall and immediately answered their calls.

"What happened? It's a good thing people saw you come here! We were so worried." Louise asked Archerko in an angry tone while flailing around

"It's my fault," Agnes interrupted the two. "I shouldn't have run like that." She saved Archerko from being scolded by her master. But it's true indeed that all of this commotion happened because she suddenly sprinted away.

Henrietta looked worried for the captain and asked, "what was wrong?" She had her hand on her chin with a worried frown on her face.

"I guess I felt sick. Yes that's it…" Agnes lied, no it was a half-truth. She wasn't ill of any disease but she was indeed unstable right now and she knows it. Was it because she lost to the familiar? Because of the deal? Or is it because of something else that made her kiss Archerko like that? Whatever the reason she has yet to come to terms with her own actions.

"I guess knights are not used to shopping." Henrietta wondered.

"You two looked like you were talking about something while in that alley though." Louise remembered seeing the two so close after seeing them there. "What was it about?"

"A-ah!" At that question both of them flared up and started waving their hands.

"I-it's nothing right Captain?" Archerko was the first to deny and lie. Henrietta looked convinced with it but Louise kept a suspicious, narrowed look at Archerko.

"Yeah, s-she was just asking me why I suddenly ran away and I replied in similar fashion as I did just now." Agnes tried to convince the two but the knight wasn't used to lying either.

"…okay but you two seem really suspicious." Louise looked at both of them who were still sweating buckets.

"A-ah about that weapon!" Archerko hurriedly changed the topic and ran towards the store.

Henrietta gasped and said, "oh right, we have yet to replace that sword captain. Let's go." The three followed the familiar to the store. Thankfully that was enough to distract Louise from pushing though her interrogation.

Upon arriving on the store they were welcomed back by the clerks graciously. Henrietta reminded Louise and Archerko to buy whatever they want because everything is already paid for. Again, Louise felt bad about this, but what could she do? She's weak against Henrietta's aggressive requests and it's her honor to grant them.

Archerko didn't really need a new sword because she crafts her own during battle. But, to save herself from that earlier conversation she must ask to buy a new one. She looked at the racks for nice blades of different kinds. Her weapons of choice are short-swords and daggers. It's not like she doesn't know how to use long swords or two-handed swords but dual wielding was the style she has come to love. She immediately went into the corner that had those weapons.

"_These daggers and swords are shit._" She whispered to herself. It's true, most of the weapons there are made to look good rather than to be used on actual battle.

"Well? Got your pick?" Agnes asked her, wondering what type of weapon that girl's type is.

"I'd rather entrust my life on a shovel than these ornaments." Archerko replied harshly but in a whisper to try and not insult the clerks.

Agnes was impressed. Archerko knew truly what she was talking about. She knew these weapons won't last long from experience. Real swords are crafted not to look good but to feel good. These weapons are nothing but ornaments meant to be placed beside thrones or emblems.

"What is it going to be?" The clerk asked, eager to receive their orders.

"Well I…" Archerko turned to talk to the clerk but found something interesting as she spanned her eyes. It was a sword piled together with a bunch of broken swords. She quickly approached it and pulled it out from the scraps.

"Ah, those are…" The clerk tried to stop Archerko because those were the 'junk' section.

"Good pick," Agnes who could tell the quality of a weapon well saw the high-tier craftsmanship embedded on the rusted blade.

"Louise! Can I have this?" Archerko eagerly turned to Louise and showed her the sword.

"Eh?" Louise gasped in wonder. "With all the amazing swords here why would you want that?" She asked curiously as she inspected the sword inside Archerko's hands.

"I don't know, but I feel something special about this sword." Archerko replied while giving the weapon a few trial swings. It felt great to wield, it almost feels like its shape was purposely carved to fit Archerko's grip.

"Okay then, at least this way her highness won't need to spend much." Louise agreed to take the sword.

The knight captain too found her sword. It wasn't worth much either because it was only a simple two-handed sword. It wasn't as impressive as her old sword but it will have to do until they return to the castle where she can craft her own masterpiece.

"Well we need to return to the academy now princess." Louise talked to Henrietta.

"Can we ride together in our carriage? It'd be my pleasure to have everyone ride with me back to the academy." Henrietta clapped her hands excitedly.

"Ah but princess t-that's…" Like always, Louise was hesitant to accept Henrietta's invitation. She doesn't see her as 'worthy enough' to enjoy her friend's presence.

"Please…" Henrietta pleaded with glassy eyes. Agnes, beside her, covered her own face with her palm in response.

"Okay…" Louise surrendered with a defeated expression.

Their trip back to the academy was smooth. The three of them shared the carriage while Agnes sat beside the horse-carriage-driver to keep a look out. She wouldn't want another incident like yesterday to happen, that would make her a terrible knight, much less a captain.

"I wish I was there when Archerko-san and the captain were sparring." Henrietta sighed. She imagined a friendly duel between the two warriors which was far from the epic truth.

"Come to think of it, why did you duel?" Louise asked Archerko. Did Archerko somewhat irritate the captain to engage her in a duel? Louise is already somewhat familiar with Archerko's attitude and that may entirely be true.

"It was of pure competition!" Agnes interrupted from outside the carriage. It seems their conversation could still be heard from the driver's seat.

"Ah... it's as she says." Archerko agreed with Agnes. It would be easier to cover it up as an opportunity to test one's self against the other than Agnes' real reason which was to know Archerko's identity. Still, she avoided eye contact to hide her expression.

While they were talking, another carriage met them heading the opposite direction. Compared to the princess' royal carriage it was less luxurious but you can tell that the owner is rich. The design was extravagant and there were also some guards escorting it.

"That came from the academy right? It's not surprising if it's one of the students. All of the students in the academy are nobles after all." Louise looked at the carriage which was about to pass them by.

Archerko peeked to get a glimpse of the passenger. The courage was shrouded in curtains so it was hard to see but from where she's looking she saw a familiar face. It was the maid she knew well.

"Isn't that Siesta?" Archerko said with surprise as the maid's silhouette disappeared behind the curtains. She wondered why on earth Siesta would be riding such a cart away from the academy.

"I'll go ask." Agnes stopped the other carriage from moving by calling them out. "In the name of the Tristain kingdom we demand to know who's in this carriage." She asked one of the guards escorting the other carriage.

"Ah- yes, it's the noble Count Mott." The guard replied. He was shaky and looked anxious. After all, he was talking to someone riding the royal carriage wearing the royal emblem.

"Is that all?" Agnes asked with a piercing glare that sent chills to the spines of the guards.

"A-and also his appointed maid…" The guard replied, careful not to anger the Knight Captain.

"Okay, thank you for your cooperation." With a wave of her hand she allowed the other carriage to pass. "You heard that?" She asked the passengers of her own carriage.

"Yes, thank you." Henrietta replied. "That Count Mott… I wonder why he was here."

"Who's this Count Mott?" Archerko asked while still following the other carriage with her eyes until it disappeared down the dirty road.

"Count Mott is the royal court's liaison." Henrietta explained.

"In short he brings important messages from the castle to different territories of the kingdom." Louise added. It's not surprising that Louise knew so much about this stuff because she herself is from a noble family.

"But, I don't like this Count Mott…" Henrietta said with a tone of disgust. "He only chooses to go where he wouldn't need to take more than a day of riding his carriage. He's the laziest liaison there is in my opinion."

"A noble bum? Why is someone like him affiliated with castle?" Archerko wondered. She's no longer surprised to have such failures of human beings as nobles because from her experience, other than being egoistic, some 'nobles' don't have personalities at all.

"His family was influential before until he preceded his father." Henrietta replied. "His father was one of my family's most trusted friends, too bad his successor is not up to par."

"Why would he want Siesta as a maid? I thought nobles already had dozens of maids at their mansions." Archerko imagined a grand estate filled with helpers patrolling its lands and guarding its territory.

Louise and Henrietta looked at Archerko as if she was supposed to already know the answer. Archerko looked back and raised her hands in a 'what?' fashion.

"I suppose you don't know since you've just been summoned in this land, but here when a noble 'appoints' a maid it means he wants her to be his mistress." Louise said.

"What?" Archerko gasped in surprise. That's not different from human smuggling back in her world which was illegal and inhumane. But she couldn't impose her morals on this world with different cultures.

"It's a pity though… I heard bad rumors about Count Mott…" Henrietta had a worried look and seemed lost in thought while she looked at Archerko and Louise. "I heard she tortures his mistresses after he has his way with them at night."

Archerko jolted and leaned forward saying "You know that and you're not arresting him?" Archerko raised her voice, angered by the thought of a friend getting raped by such a disgusting noble.

"Archerko know your place! This is the-…" Louise attempted to chastise Archerko of her manners but was quickly stopped by Henrietta.

"No, Louise she's right…" She sighed before turning to Archerko. "I share your feelings and I want to do something about it. But until we find concrete evidence we just can't arrest him. That would cause turmoil in the kingdom." She explained apologetically.

Archerko groaned and leaned back. "I understand." It was the same for her world. The police won't act until they find undeniable proofs of an incident. But she feared that like in her world, it may already be too late when they do.

"So princess, will you be staying in the academy tonight?" Louise asked to change the topic.

"I'll be staying in the academy for three days!" Henrietta happily replied. She was eager to spend her three days with Louise as she did when they were still children. "We'll be staying in the royal guestrooms please visit us there Louise." She pleaded again with her meek royal face that the mage couldn't decline.

"O-of course." Louise nodded.

"We're here." Agnes called out. They barely noticed entering the academy because of all the talk about Count Mott.

Henrietta who went down first eagerly dragged Louise by the hand to spend more time with her. Louise helplessly followed the princess who led her to the gardens and left Archerko and Agnes alone. Archerko who went down the carriage last was met by Agnes on her way down.

"You know, they will have lots of guards there." She told Archerko with a serious face.

Archerko blinked and just looked at Agnes. It seems the knight knew exactly what she was thinking. "I am not sure what you're talking about." She smirked and lazily walked away.

Agnes just looked at the familiar disappear at a corner with a smile. She got her new sword and headed to the guest quarters where the other knights stayed. "It will be a busy knight," she said on the way with a small smirk on her face.

Meanwhile not too far away, a mansion was built especially for the noble Count Mott. It was big and guards patrolled every inch of the mansion. The mansion was safely housed insidegates that enclosed the area on all four sides. Other than the guards that patrolled the yard, the gates too had spikes on top of them to ensure that no one dares to enter the mansion's premises secretly. Inside the mansion in the main bedroom the Count was ready to enjoy his newest toy who he had forced to wear his favorite maid costume.

"You're probably aware now that I hired you more than for just meager tasks." The count said with a deep voice.

"I- I understand…" Siesta said while avoiding eye contact. Her face was red almost as if she knew exactly what was to become of her.

Outside the window, not too far away from gate, silver light shines dimly from the hair of an angry warrior. She stood on top of a tree branch shrouded by the curtains of the night with her presence completely concealed from the oblivious guards. This warrior intends not the destruction of Mott but to take what was taken and retrieve whatever she could use to push penalties on the Count.

"It's just fight after fight… it's been a long day." The girl said to herself and projected two swords. This time the swords were not blunt, they were the swords with the name of Kanshou and Bakuya. As she held the swords the rune she received in her summoning glowed dimly.

"Let's get to the point shall we?" The count approached Siesta and unbuttoned her dress. The maid was submissive and did not fight back but shamefully looked away. "I won't take that! You need to show me your face!" He said angrily and forced Siesta to look at him by the chin. Siesta closed her eyes scared as the noble raised his hand to hit her. Before his hand could land on the maid's cheeks they were interrupted by the shattering glass of the window.

The figure that broke through the window got between the count and the maid. She grabbed the maid tightly inside her arms and kicked the Count Mott away forcefully. The count flew a meter and landed on his back.

"What the… who are you?" The count asked with a surprised and scared look at the white clothed figure in front of him

"You don't need to know…" Archerko replied as she let go of the maid and faced the Count with a confident smile on her face.

Guards who heard the loud crash from their master's bedroom flocked outside and kicked the door open. Count Mott was eager to get behind them and ask for their help to deal with the situation. They were armored and had different kinds of weapons. There were about eight of them, three wielded halberds, two wielded long-two-handed-swords and three wielded a sword and shield. The count himself was an able triangle mage who could cast advanced spells against the intruder.

"You will pay for this insolence!" The count shouted. He was angry and would want nothing more but to destroy what just attacked him while he was so eager to use his new toy.

"I am the bone of my sword," she says this famous line softly and summoned numerous blades behind her. She took an offensive stance ready and sent a wave of killing intent at her enemies.

"W-what manner of sorcery is this?" Count Mott screamed in terror as he saw numerous blades aimed at them. They all looked sharp and deadly. He's not sure if even the strongest shield of his guards will be able to safely guard them from that attack.

"Sorry, but it's one on eight, so I have to even the odds with this." Archerko gripped her swords tightly and charged in while simultaneously firing short swords from behind her. "Hyah!" She roared as she launched herself against the group of armored guards in front of her.

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><p>Author note: the chapter is getting too long so I apologize for the cliffhanger .!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer, again i don't own fate/stay night, Himura Kiseki's work, nor do i own Zero no Tsukaima

PS: thank you for the reviews, and keep it coming it motivates me to write =]

edited: fixed the scene break to be more clear

anyway on to the story

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><p>Void Bladeworks<p>

Chapter 3

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><p>Entering the fort like mansion alone is something people would say a 'bad idea'. Entering a fort like mansion alone with the intention of antagonizing everyone inside is something in the level of craziness. But with tens of dozens of blades floating behind her, wiping out a small battalion of soldiers suddenly becomes a trivial task. Ideally, three swords per person are enough to assure Archerko her victory. Right now, eight men are in serious doubt whether they should continue to stay in front of their magician master. Will they be able to withstand the onslaught of a barrage of blades?<p>

The air is tensed and they're focused beyond normal. The three tower-shield users are most affected with the situation. Everyone on their side counts on them to repel all the swords. Repelling spears in war and battle is hard enough but trying to survive a continuous assault from flying swords is something they have never experienced. They feel the clothes inside their armors soaked with sweat. One gap in their defense and everything can end immediately.

"Hyah!" The girl's battle roar signaled the start of the fight. She charged in with her kanshou and bakuya while allowing her projections to continuously engage the enemy.

They now had to choose whether to engage the girl or keep their shields up to repel the assault. It was a no brainer it was obvious that they had to sacrifice their vision of their enemy just to survive. Their giant shields protected them fully from the raining blades but at the same time they themselves had no idea what's in front of them.

For a brief second, the barrage stopped. Were they safe? Did the spell end? The guards felt huge relief thinking that the spell is over. Whatever kind of sorcery that was, they have endured it. It's time to fight back and they need to remove the bulky shields in front of them to launch an attack. It only took a small opening in that wall of metal for a silver reflection to pass through.

"Grahh!" The middle shield-guard screamed in agony as he felt a blade pass through his shoulder. He fell on his back and got pinned on the floor. The other guards tried to help him up but he was stuck there for the blade was fired with such force that half the blade is missing under the floor.

One of them has fallen but they had no time to rest. The barrage may have stopped but their enemy is already in front of them with her swords raised and ready to strike. One of those who wielded a two-handed-long sword took it on himself to block the attack with his sword. He's trained to use such weapon with full capability. With his knees bent and his sword raised high; two swords can be easily repelled and even be countered. This is true, if the swords he was facing weren't some a form of phantasm. Phantasms are weapons that defy human logic. Regular weapons will automatically be sliced like butter once they come in contact with phantasmal weapons. A higher degree of these weapons are the noble phantasms epic spirits would use in their battles. The girl's kanshou and bakuya are not on that level but as phantasms they are above the weapons of the guards.

The long-sword was shattered from where it met the two swords. He felt the two swords pass through his shoulders and felt as if his arms would come off. But for some reason they were still there. The girl had intentionally 'pulled back her punches'. As his knees weakened, adrenalin left his body and pain surged in his body. His view of the girl's flawless face soon blurred until everything was black. He fainted.

The two shield wielders did not have the time to care about their wounded. They had a monster to deal with. They unsheathed their own one-handed estocs and began their counterattack. Thrusts were their most reliable option for swinging a blade with such heavy armor would just be too slow against the nimble beauty. Both of them thrust their swords on her chest. They felt hitting something solid and felt excited that they have defeated their opponent. To their surprise, much like before a small array of blades appeared to block their thrusts. The blades shattered after the collision and left glittering shards of metal floating in the air.

Three of them swung their halberds simultaneously at the trespasser. Just one hit is all they need to finish the fight. These weapons are the heavy artilleryof melee combat. Surely she wouldn't be able to block them? That's correct but the attacks themselves were slow and the girl merely leaped back to dodge.

The guards were not the only ones fighting the girl because there's also Count Mott, an able Triangle Class Water Mage. While his guards were busy taking the blunt of the familiar's attacks, he managed to gather enough water to use as his weapon. Like an extendable whip, he used the water he gathered to lash at the girl. Unlike conventional weapons, this elemental whip could flex into any shape and chase the enemy better. He controlled the whip to follow the girl as she dodged every strike with sidesteps and back steps.

While the Count took initiative with his spells, the guards figured they can gain the advantage by closing in. The aqua whip alone looked like it was enough to keep the girl on her feet so if they attack together they can surround the trespasser. Also, they knew the girl couldn't move too close to her companion for dodging will be something nearly impossible with someone behind you that you need to protect. Finally, for the first time in their encounter, they feel that they had the advantage. The halberd users spread out with the two remaining shield users to press the girl into a corner. The plan was to trap her along with the maid together and take them both in one go. The count did his part by limiting the girl's movements with his whip and constantly lashed at her.

They closed in on her with all of their weapons raised high. It was almost like hyenas cornering a trapped antelope along with her calf. All they needed was have her pinned then strike her down. They observed the girl's face, she was sweating a bit. Was she near fatigue? After all dodging numerous lashes from a whip that can bend in any direction is quite a task. Yes, she looked worn out. This is indeed the time for them to go all out.

They launched their assault and came on her from all sides. Their formation was flawless. The two shield guards were at the front to protect them from any retaliation. They had nothing to worry about side-attacks since they were perfectly supported by the count with his whip. Sweep attacks will also not work because the tower shields were so big that they covered everything. So that's front, bottom, left and right- all of those corners were safe. However, just as they thought they finally had her pinned, something sharp pierced the floor beneath them.

"What?" They gasped as they saw three swords drop from above them. It's now apparent that the path they were walking on was directly in range of the girl's projections.

They had to decide quickly as some more swords appeared on top of them, slightly in an angle facing them. Will they back away? Or push forward? They knew that if they risk it, they can be shredded in a moment by the raining onslaught of blades. However, such a chance to catch the girl might never come again.

Five more blades appeared above them. No, it was foolish to push forward. They back pedaled away. There were six of them who charged in to capture the familiar, but they were only four when they retreated. Two of them got skewered on the ground by their shoulders. Sadly, for them, the two shield-wielders they trusted to defend them are finally out of the battle. Was it a trap? Did she really lure them into perfect range? If so then close combat is not this girl's weakness. It's like fighting a war when you rejoice upon having your siege towers reach the enemy castle walls only to find out that the entire area was soaked in boiling oil and all your foot men are broiled into tender golden brown.

It was looking bad for the guards and for the Count. If the familiar unleashes another offensive, they had no way to protect themselves from a continuous assault of flying swords. Their swords won't be able to catch all those projectiles. That whip won't block anything. Those halberds would look like toys in front of that armada of weapons.

They saw a faint smile on the familiar's face and heard her say "four on one, along with the count that's five, fair enough." All the summoned projections shattered and only those that pinned their targets remained. It seemed that the girl wanted to face them in melee. Are they only hearing things? One mage and four experienced fighters against one girl. If the girl wasn't going to use projections then it will be almost one sided. Was she too confident because she dealt with the shields already?

Two guards faced her with their long swords while the other two who wielded halberds stayed back to be able to use their long weapons efficiently. The two in front did not attack at the same time but simultaneously lunged instead. This is a good way to keep her moving instead of just going for one big blow which she would probably just dodge. The count switched from using water whips and instead made small compact water balls and used them as small projectiles.

The front most guard opened his attack with a horizontal swing in attempt to cut his enemy in half. Even if he missed, the girl will be forced to jump away and she would inevitably lose position against the other guards behind him. As he expected he slashed nothing but air for the familiar ducked under him. He felt the sharp blades of his opponent cut through his hips in a diagonal fashion upwards. He was cut from across his left hip to his right shoulder. Then as he started to fall forward he was met by an uppercut to the chin that jarred his brain.

The second guard followed his comrade's attack with a thrust of his own. As his comrade dropped unconscious on the floor he watched how the girl repelled his attack with her own swords and swept his long-sword sideways. The last thing he saw was how the girl's voluptuous body twisted graciously before her boots crashed on his cheeks. He flew two meters sideways where he dropped unconscious after one blow.

The water-balls fired by the count were negligible obstacles that the girl easily sidestepped. The whip was a much more formidable challenge.

Seeing how the other guards were quickly dispatched, the two halberd users stepped back to think of a better plan to take her down. Obviously, direct confrontation is a very risky thing to do. The Count too had to switch gears as he reshaped his weapon into a whip.

"It's no use my count, she's just too strong." One of the guards tried to talk some sense into his master who was still persistent on avenging his honor. The other guard seemed to agree with him.

The count waved his head stubbornly and said "just wait the other guards are coming." The platoon of guards was only four-fifths of the total number of guards patrolling the mansion. The footsteps of ten other guards who just noticed the commotion can already be heard rushing up the stairs.

The guard could not do anything but agree with his employer. In the back of his mind he wondered if additional backup would really mean anything. This trespasser showed to be able to handle an entire group easily even when holding back. He can imagine that she could take out an entire army with her ability to project blades if she wanted to. Adding more people into the equation would be similar to throwing crumbs of bread to ducks in a pond.

Not long after, ten more guards appeared to confront join them. That sense of security in numbers was quickly dispelled as the new comers were immediately intimidated by what's in front of them. Pure fear is a vague term to describe what they're feeling right now. It was more like how a deer would feel when it witnesses it's final moments inside the jaws of a tiger. Or how a helpless rat would feel as it looks at the seemingly bottomless gullet of a twenty-feet long snake. In simple terms, impending death.

The trespasser had one of her arms raised with her sword pointed at them. Beside her were innumerable weapons that varied from short swords to pole-axes. One of the guards used to wonder if she was taking it easy on them before but now he's sure that's the case. The short-swords she used to beat them were nothing compared to what they're facing now: pole-axes, winged spears, halberds, long swords and some weirdly shaped weapon that will tear through flesh and bone.

"This-… this is impossible…" One of the original guards dropped his weapon in submission. There were new shield-wielders that have come to their aid but a normal tower-shield will just not do anymore. Not even a wall of the best shields will protect them from that attack.

The count himself screamed in despair as he said "y-you're a demon!" His face was distorted with fear. Right now in the back of his head he's thinking of the maid was really worth all this trouble.

Finally, time almost froze as each of the weapons started moving forward. Those guards can see every vibration around the weapons as they start to motion towards them. Some of them were already having flashbacks of events that happened in their childhood. Some were calling their lover's name. And some were praying to deities to save them from the inevitable death. While they cowered in fear in wait for the attack one of the spears in the array of weapons shattered.

They were surprised, what was it that caused the weapon to shatter like fragile glass. They looked at the girl and saw her wide eyed expression. They witnessed her drop to one knee before all the weapons she projected inside the room shattered and disappeared as if they never existed. Her face was drenched in sweat as she could barely support herself on one knee.

Meanwhile back in the academy

After travelling from the town and back, Louise felt the need to take a bath. Usually her unsocial self would prevent her from going to the academy hot springs but right now that place is reserved just for them. Her friend, Henrietta, used her authority to keep the use of the hot spring to herself and Louise. However, for some reason Louise felt even more self-conscious now that she's about to take a deep with her childhood friend who's a royal princess.

The hot water was perfect. It wasn't too hot but it was enough to give that soothing sensation around Louise's body. Beside her was Henrietta who happily cuddled with her friend. In front of the mage was Agnes who was forcefully dragged there to accompany them. Outside the springs are three knights who served under Agnes who had the order to keep watch.

Louise could barely look at her friend's womanly figure. After all, compared to her, Henrietta had sexy curves, abundant breasts and an attractive rear. Agnes too was a work of art. Even if she's a knight she didn't have any sign of stiff muscles or strain. Add that to her nicely shaped breasts and attractive curves and what you get is a cute, tomboyish girl that many would fall for. Louise too was a sight to behold, she had a cute figure and her flat chest just adds more flavor to that petite body of hers. But she was never one with self-esteem.

Louise was lost in thought about her self-pity when Henrietta asked "isn't this just cozy Louise?" The mage looked at her friend and nodded while trying her best to avoid looking at those huge breasts. "What's the matter? Are you not having fun with me?" Henrietta continued to ask her.

Louise waved her head and said "I-It's not like that" before stealing a glance at the princess' figure. "W-we grew up together and yet…" she dipped herself further in the hot water until only her eyes were not submerged.

She tried her best to hide her inferiority complex but the pitiful tone of her voice betrayed her. It was not long before she felt the princess' arms cordially enveloped her in an embrace. She felt safe inside the royal arms but for some reason she felt different. Different from when she's inside the arms of another person.

"Louise, I think your body is perfect the way it is." She heard Henrietta say this. It was already apparent that the princess has found out about her complex. It was embarrassing really… to have someone you admire tell you that you had a body you should be proud of.

With that, the mage felt freer to express her thoughts. Otherwise that time in the springs will be awkward hour and a waste of time. "It's not just that, I've been trying my best in magic and yet I still can't cast the simplest of spells. Compared to me the princess is…" She felt Henrietta's finger touch her lips before she could continue.

"You summoned a wonderful familiar, isn't that enough?" She was comforted by Henrietta. The mage remembered how mortified she was to summon a commoner. After the events with the nobles and that thing with the captain, she's now quite proud to be the owner of such a rare beauty.

Outside the entrance of the springs there was a commotion with the guards. Louise can hear a familiar voice arguing with Agnes' knights. The voice didn't sound fact the voice was somehow seductive, disgustingly seductive.

"Please, let me come in I'm Louise's friend." Louise heard the voice say from behind the spring's rocky walls. Yep that voice is Kirche's alright. The undeniable slutty tone is a big give away.

"I'm sorry but… orders are…" She heard the knight try to reason with Kirche. The knight was new to her job so she didn't have the same authoritative stature as Agnes had. It was obvious that she was having trouble just speaking to the woman.

"Captain Agnes, any friend of my friend Louise is welcome to join us in bath!" Louise gasped as Henrietta ordered the captain to allow the visitor in. The captain didn't complain and only sighed in disbelief before calling out to her knights.

"Let them in!" The captain ordered.

Louise expected Kirche to come alone but apparently she was with Tabitha. They were already in their towels as if they expected to be allowed entry into the springs. Louise's eyebrow twitched to see both help themselves inside the springs.

"A hot spring bath with the princess and Louise, how lovely is this?" Kirche clapped her hands while still using that annoying voice. Tabitha on the other hand sat quietly in one corner and dipped herself in the hot water.

Louise observed her friend to see if she was truly okay with this kind of development. Henrietta looked fine. She didn't seem to be bothered to share space with the kind of people like Kirche. In fact she was more conscious about Tabitha who sat there silently with her head buried in another thick tome. "Oh my, bathing with a friend of my dear Louise, this is an honor" is what Louise heard Henrietta say. The princess looked genuinely happy.

"No, the pleasure is ours. Young Louise here always avoided bathing with everyone so this is a rare occurrence." Louise felt Kirche cling on her as the red haired mage said this.

"You're just going to tease me if I do anyway." The pink-haired glared awkwardly at the big-breasted woman. Although she feels that Kirche meant well, most of the time she's the reason why people tease her.

"That's because you're just so adorable, like a doll." Louise cringed at Kirche's comment. She's not used to taking praises. Other than that she's also a very shy girl who would fluster in every little compliment she would receive.

"I know exactly what you mean!" It was Henrietta's turn to embarrass Louise. "How can you resist that soft pink hair, that petite body that you can smother in your arms and that innocent face that you can't help but love?"

Louise saw what she didn't want to see which was her best friend and her most annoying acquaintance conniving together to embarrass her. They looked so happy together as they touched hands and shared their feelings about Louise who moved closer to Tabitha to escape the torment near the two huge breasted ladies. At least with Tabitha, she could enjoy peace and quiet and not get fondled while she listened to the two.

"Now that she summoned an adorable familiar I just feel like I have to collect them!" Louise watched Kirche giggle. She didn't know whether to be freaked out about this comment. The thought of being 'collected' didn't sound too well with her. "Come to think of it where's Archerko?" Kirche asked a question directed at Louise.

"The last time I saw her she was with Captain Agnes." Louise replied and passed the question to the captain. Right after getting down from the royal carriage, she was immediately dragged by Henrietta so she didn't notice what became of her familiar after that.

"I saw her heading to your dorm before we went here." Agnes replied with a confused look on her returned to her dorm before she went to the hot springs but she didn't see Archerko there. So the captain wasn't with Archerko the whole time before they got in the hot spring? Then where's the silver-haired girl?

With the little knowledge she has about Archerko, Louise imagined her familiar to be in some sort of trouble again. She already warned the familiar to stay out of trouble but she just can't help butfeel anxious. Somewhere deep inside her heart she felt she had to look for the girl or something might just happen.

Without thinking, her lips moved and said "I'm going to look for her". She stood up and approached the entrance of the bath but was stopped by Agnes. She was a little irritated. "_Why is this person stopping me from looking for my familiar_?" was the question she keeps repeating inside her head.

"Allow me to look for her," Agnes suggested with a gentle smile. Louise could feel that the knight was sincere about looking for Archerko. However, she felt that the girl was her responsibility and that it was her duty to look after her.

"Let me come!" Louise replied stubbornly but was quickly denied by Agnes who asked her to sit down. At that point Louise became more suspicious about where Agnes' would think her familiar was. She wanted to ask, but she knew the knight wasn't going to give her an answer. Was she right? Was her familiar engaged in some sort of trouble again?

"Please don't worry I think I might have an idea where she is." Agnes comforted her and guaranteed the familiar's safe return. "She may not look like it, but after crossing blades with her I can definitely tell that she's not someone who would lose to anyone."

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Louise shouted still persistently asking to go. At this point Henrietta and Kirche calmed her down and asked her to sit down. Now that the princess herself asked her to calm down, Louise had no choice but to keep her worries to herself and leave the matter to Agnes. She frowned as she saw the captain take her towel and opened the door. Before the captain left, Louise noticed a serious frown on Agnes' face. For some reason she could feel chills run down her spine.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Archerko is only playing around somewhere." Kirche tried to comfort the mage. "She's probably enjoying a moonlight stroll."

"Y-yes…" Louise did not want to prolong the matter and tried to calm down. Maybe she was overthinking stuff. But why would the captain wear such a grim look on her face? Where would the girl be? Was she safe? These are questions that she wanted answered.

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><p>Meanwhile In a world far different from Halkegenia, a parallel world to that of Archerko's home world, a girl struggles to sell ice pops for a living. The girl had a short pink hair and had a mature slender body. She had fair skin and was one hundred and seventy-two centimeters tall. She's in the beach wearing an apron over her two-piece, blue bikini. But she wasn't there to enjoy the sun and the ocean. Because of certain incidents she's in a huge amount of debt with no other way to pay other than manual labor. She saw the beach as an opportunity to sell cold drinks, squid and some ice pops and charges twice the amount of the normal price.<p>

Because of the huge price she places on the products, she only had three customers for the entire day. Three kids who got intimidated into buying to be exact. But even then she wouldn't give up because her pride as a warrior won't let her. That said; it's not like she's not willing to do another type of job to pay her debts. But unfortunately the magus association doesn't have any job for her currently and her socializing abilities are of rank E-. Still she had her phone with her hoping that any time now her boss would offer her something that would pay a substantial amount of money.

Her name was Bazett Fraga McRemitz. Her friends and employers would usually refer to her as 'Bazett'. Her original occupation was as an enforcer for the mage association. She's known for her fighting abilities that rivaled the most athletic fighters and she can even fight defensively against heroic spirits. Other than that, she's notorious for having a bad temper as a simple argument with her can quickly turn into a brawl. Her abilities as an enforcer were feared in the magus world but her special skill is what gave her the name 'retaliator'- the Fragarach.

After a few hours of shouting, "Ice pops! Squid! Cold Drinks!" She finally tired out and decided to rest a bit and sat on a dead tree. A few yards in front of her were a birthday party. She knew the celebrants very well but they are not on good terms for just a few days ago they were enemies in the battlefield. She's not one to eaves drop but they were talking so loud that she couldn't help but listen.

"Illya, Kuro and Miyu happy birthday!" The crowd happily cheered. They were three little girls having their birthdays at the same time. Quite a rare occurrence really. They also studied in the same school and even belonged in the same class.

Bazett looked at the friends. Maybe watching them eat will give her ideas on how to sell her goods. After all, most of the customers at the beach were students, children and young adults. Her honed senses allowed her to listen from a far without being detected. To her dismay, most of the things they were talking about where about birthdays and why they're celebrated.

"Ah! Fanta tastes great! It's the best taste in the world!" A girl who calls herself Tattsun cheered just before burping. Bazett finally found the information she needed. She took out a small notebook and a pencil then started writing.

"Children in the beach love Fanta," she muttered to herself while she wrote down her discovery. She planned on selling them twice their original price. Bazett was never good at marketing or business because the only thing she really excels at is fighting. That… and punching people in the face.

Before she could take her plan into action, she needed the money to buy those goods she would sell. She decided that her short break is finished and she has to sell the remaining squid and ice pops. Just as she started pushing her cart, she was interrupted by the sound of her ringing mobile phone. Could this be the call she's waiting for?

She looked at who was calling and saw that it was one of her bosses. Yes, this might be her opportunity. The red-head immediately answered the call. "Hello, Bazett here." She said eager to hear from her boss.

"Bazett, president Zelracht has a task for you. He said that if you manage to do this, the magus association would be willing to pay for your debts." The boss didn't waste any time and gave her his mission. He sounded in a hurry. He probably had other things to do rather than chit chat with Bazett. Besides, Bazett isn't the best chat-mate.

Bazett didn't think twice about accepting the mission. All she needed were the details and she'll be off. Whatever it is, she's sure it's way better than selling ice pops or Fanta. "So what is my mission?"

"We need you to bring to us a gem catalyst. Be careful not to break it though, the Wizard Marshall stored a very powerful spell in it. Unfortunately he forgot what spell it was. But whatever it is he couldn't let it stay there unguarded." The man on the phone explained, he sounded so carefree. "But if it's a sorcery from the president then you can be sure it's something powerful so be careful. This is the reason why we couldn't ask those two girls Rin and Luvia to do this mission."

"I'm currently at the beach may I return to the local branch to get my uniform?" Bazett felt uncomfortable getting into gear wearing a bikini and apron.

The man on the phone declined her request and said "if you're at the beach then you're in luck because the warehouse it's stored in is very near there. I'll send you it's location on your GPS".

The enforcer wanted to ask more questions to his boss about the mission but the man hurriedly hanged up. He really was in a hurry. Bazett did not dare ask why because she knows high ranking magus have many jobs to do. She wouldn't be caught interrupting them from an extremely important task. It only took half a minute before the location reached her GPS. She looked at it and found that the target was only a short drive north.

The enforcer hurried to her car in the parking lot to tend to her mission. The task sounded easy enough. Go to place, retrieve item, and then give to boss, profit. She only had to follow those four easy steps. Running about 100kph she managed to arrive in the location after only thirty minutes. Of course she had to evade the police on the way there because the maximum allowed limit to drive there was only 80.

The warehouse looked abandoned. Nobody lingered around it and it is most certain that no one is inside. It was worn down and Bazett thought one punch would be enough to bring the whole building to the ground. She needed to be careful. If she's too reckless whatever it is inside that she's supposed to retrieve could be buried in a pile of rubble. Inside the warehouse were lots of empty boxes. Whatever was inside them was probably emptied by thieves and opportunists. Hopefully the item in question was still there.

Her GPS led her inside the warehouse basement. Upon entering, lots of insects of different kinds scurried away after seeing daylight for the first time after god knows how long. She followed the bleep on her GPS until she reached a dead end. It was either buried under the floor or there was a secret door. She knocked on the walls to check for clues and found out that it was hollow. Yes, this is the kind of wall that would keep something behind it.

She bent her knees and readied herself to punch the wall. Ideally, the wall should be weak enough to fall down with only minimal force. She didn't want to use too much force because she didn't know how far back the gem was. If by chance the gem was directly behind the wall then it would be catastrophic to squash it under the debris of the fallen wall. In one swift strike, Bazett punctured a hole with her right fist. She peaked through the hole and saw a moderately sized room behind the wall. There was a shelf on the far side and it's probably holding the gem in question. "Hyah!" She roared as she sent the wall crashing down with a powerful kick.

The room was empty except for the shelf. "Yes this should be where it's kept." She muttered to herself as she approached the shelf. There were four drawers on the shelf. All of them contained magical ingredients and papers but only the third drawer from the left contained a gem inside it. Bazett knew that she got her target.

Meanwhile in the local branch of the Magus Association

The old man who was supposed to be Bazett's boss was rummaging through his dresser. He was wearing a uniform and a necktie. It seemed as if he was going to meet someone. After a few minutes of panic he found what he was looking for: the new tuxedo he bought last week. It's now apparent that he was in a hurry because he was late for a date. He hurriedly wore the tuxedo in front of a huge mirror then praised himself with a pat on the back. Now he has everything he needed to attend that date. He hurried to the door but before he could open it his mobile rang.

"Oh it must be her, maybe she went there early." He said to himself while thinking happy thoughts. "Hello?" He said this with a gentle 'old-man's voice.'

"The fuck is it with your voice. You're creeping me out." It was an authoritative voice of an old man. Someone this guy is very familiar with. The old lover was shocked just to hear that voice and stood in attention as if the man was in front of him.

"P-president Zelracht!" he said while trembling. "I-I'm sorry I mistook you for someone else." He tried to explain but the Wizard Marshall wasn't interested in his stories.

"Never mind," Zelracht said. "I'm here about the gem. I just remembered what it was."

"Oh the gem sir? Please don't worry about it. Enforcer Bazett Fraga is probably already on her way here with the gem at this very moment." The old man tried to impress his boss with his confident, assuring voice.

"Good, because that gem has my 'kaleidoscope' magic in it." Zelracht sounded relieved to hear that it was in good hands. "If it breaks, whoever is holding it will be given a one way trip to a random dimension."

The old man couldn't believe what he was hearing. Such advance type of magic is incomprehensible to a mage of his level. But it's the Wizard Marshall that we're talking about here so it's nothing surprising. He is after all the only wizard ever to beat the Crimson Moon and the only known user of the third Magic.

"But as long as our enforcer is wearing her gloves she'll be fine. Otherwise that gem is set to break upon contact with a person's skin. But what are the odds of that?" Zelracht gave a carefree laugh and gave his blessings to his subordinate then hanged up.

The old man stood there on one spot while trying to let what Zelracht just said sip in his brain. "Ah-ha… yeah what are the odds of… oh fuck!" He screamed in terror after remembering that he sent the enforcer there wearing a bikini. He immediately searched for Bazett's phone number and mashed buttons to call her.

At that same time inside the warehouse

The red-head felt the vibrations of her phone inside the pocket of her apron. She wondered who it was and answered it. "Hello Bazett here."

"Ah… thank god you're still alright. Listen to me Bazett whatever you do don't touch that gem with your bare hands!" The voice of an old man warned the enforcer sternly on the phone.

At that exact same moment, Bazett had the gem in her grasp. "E-eh?" Almost immediately after she was warned the gem shattered inside her palm and broke into tiny shards of glass. Almost like a reality marble, she was sent into vertigo inside a black empty space. "What's happening?" She shouted on her phone but all there was, was static. The line was dead.

The enforcer did not know how far she was falling but in the depths of the black emptiness she noticed a white light. She did not need to go into the light for she was falling directly unto knew immediately that it was the exit. She covered her eyes to protect herself from the harsh glares from the opposite side of the wormhole. The light was blinding, almost like staring directly into the corona of the sun. But it only lasted for a moment. After a flash, Bazett could open her eyes again.

Bazett landed on a grassy ground as she rolled and tumbled. If it was anyone else, they would be already out cold because the impact could be compared to that of a whiplash in a car accident. But Bazett's training enabled her to reduce the damage and quickly get back to her feet. Ironically, after the blinding light in that empty space she was now in a vast filled at night.

The enforcer looked around, everything looked different. The warehouse wasn't there and in fact there were no buildings there. Only trees and plants were there to mark her location. "Where am I?" She asked herself as while she surveyed her surroundings. She felt confused and lost. Just what kind of magic was in that jewel? Whatever it is she's now stuck in an unfamiliar place with no way to get back. After scouting the small forest she saw a road which she believed will take her back to civilization. On that road she saw a sign saying 'Halkegenia this way'.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the Mott Mansion<p>

To save her friend Siesta, Archerko the counter-counter-guardian who's also currently Louise's familiar braved to enter the fortress mansion of the noble Count Mott. Before her maid-friend could be defiled, she managed to interrupt the perverted count and save Siesta. However, guards immediately flocked in the room to their master's aid. Archerko decided that it was best to break their confidence by giving them the biggest beat-down in their lives. She easily managed to overwhelm eight guards using mass projections of short-swords and took down six of them easily. However, not everything was going her way as ten more armored guards entered the room.

To defeat them all in one go she decided to use larger weapons as projectiles. She wasn't aiming to kill them but rather to intimidate them into leaving their master. It would have been a perfect plan because the two original soldiers who fought her already knew what her projectile spam was capable of. If the new comers would see the fear in the original's eyes, there's a good chance that their fighting spirit would break and just run away in fear. But just as she finished projecting countless of weapons in various forms she felt something wrong with herself. Every single one of her blades shattered into oblivion. Even her Kanshou and Bakuya sounded like fragile glass as it dissolved in the air.

"_W-what's this? It can't be…_" She dropped on one knee with exhaustion imprinted on her face. It was too much of a sudden. To her, it felt like she just lost fifty gallons of blood. She could feel all energy leaving her body. She has never felt this sensation before but she knows what's happening. She's running out of prana

She felt feverish and her sight was becoming blurry. But more than that, she was irritated. If only she could've sustained those weapons for a second longer, she was sure that the guards would've run by now.

"M-miss Archerko!" She could barely hear Siesta call to her worriedly. The room was filled with questions. The guards too, wondered what was happening. The new comers were about to come after her but the original guards stopped them. They were probably worried that it was a trap.

Archerko felt like passing out but she couldn't let herself fall now. If she did then it would be the end for both her and the maid. She wasn't too worried about herself because as a counter-counter-guardian and as a heroic spirit she'd probably respawn in her own world. However, Siesta was her main concern because she angered the Count so much that he'd probably kill Siesta too if they were caught. The familiar had to weigh her choices. Her first choice was to use all of her remaining mana to summon a phantasm and end the fight with a prana blast right there and then. But she wasn't sure if she's even capable of doing that right now. So it's up to the second option which was to jump with Siesta from the second floor using the window she broke. In her current state she knew doing such a feat is also dangerous but at least there's a chance.

"What's the matter?" Archerko heard the Count talk. It seemed that he found out what was going on. He walked to the front to mock the girl who's now just barely standing. "Don't tell me you've run out of mana and energy. We're just getting started." The count had a huge grin on his face. He saw Archerko's sweat trickle down her cheeks and took it as a sign of extreme fatigue. "Take them!" He ordered his guards to capture both girls.

Archerko could hear the guards rushing after them. This was it. They were going to be caught unless she does something. She imagined a pail and using it as basis she imagined how much prana she still had. Archerko had to use that remaining prana efficiently if she wanted to save them both.

Before the guards got too close. She gathered her remaining mana and let out a terrifying roar. Around her appeared countless of daggers with different blades and appearances. She immediately fired them as projectiles at the guards but their tower-shields made quick work of the daggers. However, this was her plan, if they would block themselves with their shields, she would just have enough time to grab Siesta and jump off the window.

Just as the guards were busy repelling the attack she ran after Siesta and held the maid by the waist. "Grab on!" She shouted at Siesta who immediately embraced the silver-haired. Using her last remaining the strength, she sprung out the window and leaped outside. She landed a good eight meters far from the mansion. However because of fatigue and Siesta's weight, she landed on her left shoulder. She heard a terrifying crack in her shoulder as they landed. She tried to muffle her screams of pain but Siesta noticed her face distorted with agony.

"Miss Archerko your shoulder!" She looked at the large bruise on the girl's shoulder. Archerko covered it and wrapped it with a piece of cloth.

She noticed Siesta's frightened face. Was she frightened for her own life or for the familiar? She wasn't sure but she could not allow for the maid to panic. "Go ahead and try to find some help while I'll try to stop them here." She commanded Siesta as she saw the guards quickly rushed outside the mansion to chase them. She's already about to reach her limit. There were almost no energy left in her legs and she could barely swing her arms. She knew that if she ran with Siesta, the guards will catch up to them in no time. But if she stayed to hold them off, there is a chance that Siesta can lose them and find someone for help.

Siesta was adamantly protesting not to leave her side. Archerko tried to reason with her and said "you saw me back there, I won't lose to them." This was of course a lie. She's not even positive she can take one of them in her condition. The maid was not convinced. The girl needs to make a better excuse to convince the maid. "You can help by going back to the academy and tell Louise what's happening here."

Thankfully, Archerko managed to convince Siesta to run away just before the guards reached them. They were still fearful of what they saw a few moments ago so they did not lunged at the girl immediately. Instead they prepared to surround her to attack her in a systematic fashion. The Count himself went down and ordered his guards to capture Siesta who he saw escaping behind the familiar. Three guards answered that order and tried to run pass Archerko but they were kicked away by the silver-haired.

"I'm your opponent! So come at me you cowards!" She shouted. The count knew that it was a bluff but the soldiers were still very weary. Archerko kept a grinning face to give them the impression that she was hiding something big. In reality however she doesn't have enough prana to summon the simplest of weapons. What will she use against them when they decide to charge in?

Archerko in her moment of helplessness noticed something around her waist. Ah, yes it was the rusty sword that Louise bought for her earlier. She found it good to wield and sensed something special about it. But in its state will it be able to protect her? "_At least I can show them a good fight 'til the end_." She said to herself as she placed her hands on the hilt of the sheathed sword.

"You idiots! She's done for! Go and capture her! I will make her suffer for mocking me!" The count finally gave the order to attack. One of the guards immediately followed and charged in while swinging his halberd furiously.

She had no more choices left. She needs to take a stand here with the rusted sword. In the act of drawing the sword from her waist, the rune that was embedded on her hand after her summoning started to glow. As she unsheathed the sword the rust from the hilt and the blades disintegrated and revealed a magnificent blade underneath. The sword glowed with the brilliance of the moonlight as it sliced upwards through the armored guard's arm. His halberd went flying with his hand and arm still attached to it. He fell on his knees screaming in unbearable pain before he felt a strong jarring blow on the back of his head and fainted shortly after.

"Finally!" A voice cheered in joy. Archerko looked around to see whose voice it was.

"W-where?" The girl was confused. Who was talking to her? It definitely isn't one of the guards and definitely not the Count.

"Over here partner!" The voice called to her again. It was not long before Archerko felt the shock to know that it was actually the sword calling to her.

"You can talk?" She said with eyes wide opened. If she wasn't too fatigued right now she would be jumping uncontrollably in fear.

"Well I am talking right now aren't I? I was getting worried that you'd die first before using me!" said the sword. Archerko felt surprised. Even as a creator of numerous weapons, she has seen many phantasms that defy logic but never once did she see a weapon with a soul. "But it's not the time for pity introductions. You have enemies in front of you!" The sword urged her to fight on.

The guards were taken a back about what just happened. Their enemy just drew a shining sword and cut through their comrade's armor like butter. It seemed like the girl really was hiding a trump card behind her back. The Count was furious. He used the nearby pond beside the mansion and created water blasts to sweep Archerko away.

The rune on her hand continued to glow brightly as if it was resonating with Archerko's desperation. Even though she was tired to the point of total exhaustion she was able to coordinate complex moves to dodge the water blasts. The Count got tired of her dodging and decided to create one blast that would destroy an entire house.

Archerko groaned. It seemed that even with the power of the rune she's already too fatigued to fight. She was out of ideas on how to fight that giant water ball. It was too wide to dodge and facing it head on seemed suicidal.

"Use me to cut through that ball, partner!" The sword gave her an advice. What was she to do but obey that advice and charge in?

She met the large water ball and sliced through it with the talking sword. In an instant the large water ball turned back into its natural form and scattered on the ground. The count was shocked. How can his best attack be defeated with a slice? Looking carefully one can understand how it was done. The sword's blade was filled with mana. It wasn't Archerko's mana but the mana provided to hold the water into shape. The sword absorbed the spell into its blade.

"Amazing," Archerko said with awe as she retaliated against the Count and his platoon of guards by releasing the mana the sword absorbed unto them as a form of mana blast. The blast took two guards off their feet but not out cold.

Just when she learned about the capabilities of her new weapon, her knees caved in beneath her. She fell to her knees with her sword stabbing the ground while she leaned weakly on it. If it were not for their situation, one can say that she looks like she was praying. "I'm sorry… It looks like you're going to have to find a new owner…" Archerko said in a whisper while waiting for the blow that would take her consciousness away. The sword called to her to encourage her but she felt no power in her body anymore.

"Giving up already? How did I lose to you?" Someone called behind her. She saw the guards back away as if they just saw a formidable enemy up ahead. Archerko found no more strength to turn and check who it was but she found the voice familiar.

Archerko weakly smiled and said, "So you came… Captain." Once again the rune on her hand started glowing as she struggled to get up. For some reason she felt dying here would be a bad idea. To have the captain here is both blessing and curse. It's true that she's happy to have Agnes come to her aid but on the other hand, dying here means leaving the knight alone to her fate as well. The option death suddenly became an unforgivable choice. She will now fight to survive no matter what. Now that she has an ally with her, can she hold up?

Meanwhile not too far from the mansion a lady was walking by the bushes following the road. Since she arrived from another world three groups of people have passed her by. All stared at her because of her awkward attire. Because she was only wearing an apron and a two piece bikini, her back is exposed to lustful eyes. Since she was trained as a soldier she was able to repel all these reactions and gave them the cold shoulder.

From the carts, wagons and horses that passed her by she could tell that this world was behind her world in terms of technology. She was not sure whether she got teleported to another world or simply went back in time. The trees all looked the same, the plants all looked similar from where she came from but there were no high rising structures or modern houses. There were no cars or any vehicles and the main mode of transportation was carts pulled by animals: horses or bulls.

Not long after, another group of people in a caravan stopped to approach her while she slowly followed the road. They looked like a bunch of hooligans, they were wearing light armor but they didn't look like noble knights. They had no helmets to cover their disgusting and unshaved faces. There were about four of them and most of them were fat as the bulls that they used to pull their caravan. They were armed with butcher knives, whips and daggers- not the typical weapons for employed warriors to have. From these observations the enforcer deducted them to be either mercenary or thieves. Hopefully, it was the first one since the second one would be more trouble. But for Bazett either way would be fine, her fists also ached for some practice.

One of the fat men in the cart jumped down and approached her saying "hey miss, need a ride?" He had a lewd smirk on his face as he wobbled towards the enforcer. Worse is that he looked drunk?

Bazett looked at the man for two seconds to analyze her choices if ever a fight erupts. The men looked like chumps. They were nothing compared to the epic spirits she had to capture back in her world. Getting the jump on these guys will merit her nothing. "I appreciate the concern but I'm perfectly fine on my own." She replied then continued her way on foot.

"Come on miss don't be like that. We could use a companion in these cold nights if you know what I mean." The man chased after her in an attempt to convince her. He just made obvious their intentions for inviting Bazett to join their caravan.

Bazett turned to face the man and gave him a cold stare saying "forgive me but such worldly desires are nothing to me." Then, she turned away and continued walking.

The man felt insulted by Bazett who didn't budge from his invitations. What made it worse is that his three friends began laughing and mocked his ability to woo women. He ran after Bazett and grabbed her wrist. It was the worst idea he had in his life.

The moment Bazett felt the man's hand touch her skin her natural instinct to defend herself kicked in. To bystanders it looked like she lost her limbs but in reality they were sonic fast that they were in a blur. She did two consecutive sonic blows: one to the guy's gut which removed the air from the man and another to the face which dropped him unconscious. All this happened in just a fraction of a second.

The men inside the cart watched their friend sleep on the dirty road. They got off the van to help their comrade. Like wolves hunting sheep, they circled the enforcer to teach her a lesson. They all had lewd smiles on their faces. Rather than revenge, they wanted to have their way with the strong-willed girl to show her who's boss.

Bazett was unmoving. She looked at the malicious stares of the men encircling her. "You know, I'm glad you guys arrived after all. I really need a change of clothes." For the first time today in that world she smiled. The men had no idea what she meant.

One of the guys pulled out his whip and lashed out at the enforcer. To him there's nothing like whipping someone to submission. Unfortunately, the honor of whipping Bazett is lost on him because that whip never reached the lady. He found his whip cut in two by a sonic chop from Bazett's right hand. Then he felt his stomach cave in against his ribs and spine as the enforcer's solid fists met with his abdomen. He flew six meters away from where he originally stood and fell on the other side of the dust road.

The other men had their eyes wide open. Their comrade who had the longest ranged weapon among them just got pawned in a second. They felt like it's time to leave but losing to a mere half naked girl just won't feel good to write in their resumes. So they did the retarded thing to do which was to attack the enforcer at the same time.

An attack from both sides is usually a good strategy. But for Bazett who fought against epic spirits that could attack in multiple directions, something like that is amateurish and futile. She dealt with the first man by side-stepping his butcher knife then grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed it on the ground. A small cracked hole appeared on the dusty road where the guy's face remained planted.

The other guy who wielded a long sword swung a horizontal slash at the enforcer. But he was untrained and it was easy for Bazett to catch the blade with one hand. She reached for the guy's neck then choked him out cold. Being careful not to kill the guy, she threw him away like bubble gum wrapper. Her first fight on this world was boring and unimpressive.

She looked at inside the caravan to see if there was something she could use. Inside it she found some women's clothes. It seemed that the people there were slavers and they were gathering women on the way. Only one of the clothes suited her for most of the dresses were too revealing. She chose a white shirt, tight fitting pants to wear and a pair of leather gloves. It wasn't her beloved tuxedo uniform but at least she wouldn't need to spend the night in a bikini.

Other than the clothes, she also took some gold and silver inside the caravan's safe box. Other than that, she left the cart and its animals alone. The trees were getting thicker but from the other side of the forest she could see a towering structure which looked like a castle. It was still far away, probably about an hour's walk from where she was but if she wanted to survive life there then she would need to check it out.

While she was bushwhacking her way into the forest she heard screams nearby. "Help!" Having the soldier blood in her she couldn't resist but follow in the direction of the screams. True enough after a few minutes of tracing the source of the voice she bumped into a girl who wore a maid uniform.

* * *

><p>About an hour ago in the academy<p>

The knight captain was tasked to find the familiar. Only she knew where the girl would be, for it was only her who saw the fight in the eyes of the silver-haired. On this mission she would go alone because bringing another knight with her would cause suspicion and worry. Other than that, the knights she brought with her are new recruits, and unless she wants to carry more dead bodies with her to their families back in the capital it's best to leave them behind. Besides, the familiar herself is a pretty abled fighter.

The Knight Captain tried her best to sneak out but unfortunately someone spotted her on the way to the gate. "Oh Captain Agnes, where are you going?" It was one of her knights who asked in curiosity.

"Knight, when was it that I had to tell my subordinates my every move?" She asked with an intimidating voice. The lower knight immediately apologized and let her through. Agnes felt bad for sounding mean to her knight but she didn't want to lie either. Telling her the truth would just mess things up.

She unhooked one of the horses in the stable just outside the academy gates. It was a tall, white stallion. It's not her favorite horse but it will have to do. She wanted to bring the carriage with her to fit at least three people but that will just arouse more suspicion. The knight captain wasn't a local in the place so she didn't know exactly where to go but judging from the direction of the cart from before, it shouldn't be too far.

She imagined how many guards were there waiting for her. Since the Count was a noble there would probably be more than two dozen well equipped guards. She could only hope there were no archers waiting for she would be a sitting duck against an elite squad of bow-users. Still, even without archers her mission is a risky one. Her biggest fear is arriving there too late then just seesthe girl's body impaled on a long pole, displayed for everyone to see.

Thanks to her own perseverance and some locals who were gracious enough to point the way to the place she arrived not long after. She took the road that directly connected to the entrance of the mansion. She was such in a hurry that she didn't notice a maid running frantically for her life in the bushes. In turn, that maid too failed to see the dashing white horse that galloped on the road.

What she saw when she arrived there was desperate scene where the girl was on the brink of losing. She saw her on her knees leaning pitifully on her sword. Buckets of sweat trickled down her face and her clothes were also soaked. She saw a huge black spot on the familiar's left shoulder. It was an alarming bruise. With that injury the familiar shouldn't be able to use her left arm.

The captain got off the horse and immediately approached the battle scene. She was just on time. The guards were readily approaching the wounded girl to end the battle. Fortunately her knight's uniform alarmed them and forced them to step back. She stood beside the silver-haired girl and said "Giving up already?" with a disappointed tone. "How did I lose to you?" In reality Agnes could understand how a single girl can be overwhelmed by more than two dozen guards. She knew Archerko as someone formidable but she guessed that no one's that powerful to take that many alone. Still, she thought the girl could've still escaped with the maid with very little injuries. What could've happened to have her in such pitiful state?

The familiar stood up slowly while saying "So you came… Captain?" The defeated look that once reigned on the girl's face was no more. Now that Archerko is standing, Agnes noticed the feverish look on her. Now she understood. This girl didn't lose to the guards, this girl lost to something entirely different, she was probably sick. Nobody can be always successful against their fight on diseases.

Agnes knew she had to take initiative on this fight. Archerko looked too worn out to lead the battle. She stepped forward in front of the familiar to receive majority of the attacks. "Who are you?" She heard the count say.

"I am a friend to this girl and I have come to take her with me." The captain shouted with full authority. Hopefully they will agree and just let her take Archerko with her. Of course she already expected an unfavorable reply.

"Not a chance girl! That witch has insulted me and stole my slave, I will have her pay with her life or if she agrees replacing that slave with herself!" She heard the counts demands. They were outrageous demands that she could not agree into.

"Denied!" The captain shouted back and drew her own sword. This will be the first battle that sword will experience. She thought that there was no better way to test a new blade than in a battle for one's life.

Before the fight erupted she felt some tugs on the back of her cape. It was Archerko. "Are you sure? If I just come with him obediently I don't think he will kill me, you don't have to…" Agnes stopped the familiar from continuing. She was ashamed that the girl she came there to save was worried for the captain's safety instead of her own.

"I will not lose you here." She said with a straight face and unbreakable resolve. "I promised your master and my princess that I will bring you to them safe and sound and that's what I will do. Besides… I'm still looking forward for that night of sinful pleasure that we will someday share." She turned to Archerko with a wide grin on her face. The familiar gasped, blushed then looked away. Her own tactics was being used against her by the knight. There was not a single good comeback after that line especially now that she's red all over.

The count ordered for his guards to attack. Now that they're sure that their earlier opponent is already exhausted they can focus on her as the 'weak link' of the duo. Agnes stood in front of them with adamant resolve to protect Archerko. The first guard had a spear which he placed all of his weight into for a thrust. It was good a choice since Agnes couldn't dodge or she would risk having Archerko take the hit. However, she wasn't unprepared for such a tactic. She repelled the attack with her sword sideways then quickly retracted her blade and swung it fiercely while leaping forward. Blood gushed like a fountain over the guard's soldiers. His entire head was missing as he dropped on the ground.

"Unlike my friend, I am not that merciful." She said while holding her two-handed sword pointed against the other guards who were shocked to see their comrade die. "Those of you, who do not wish to die, fall back… Those of you who wish to obtain a one way ticket trip to hell then you will find it at the end of my blade!" She roared.

The Count was furious, here's another woman who's humiliating him. He angrily used his magic to create a water spear then aimed it at the captain. Using all the mana he could muster he fired it to hit Agnes' face with extreme precision.

The knight was surprised. She forgot that the Count himself was an abled mage. Dodging was out of the question and she was not sure if blocking it will work. She clenched her teeth and raised her sword to defend from the elemental spear. Before the spear impacted, she felt a gust of wind come from behind her. A sword slashed through the spear and scattered the water across the battlefield. It was Archerko who wielded a sword with a golden hilt.

Agnes noticed the familiar's blade shining after slicing the aqua spear. The girl used that light as a form of energy to send a shockwave back at the Count who cowardly hid behind his tower-guards. The shockwave was easily repelled by the huge tower-shields.

"That sword…?" She asked at the girl who was breathing heavily.

"It's the new sword Louise bought for me." She heard the familiar reply with a smile

Agnes was interested in that sword. It had the capability to absorb mana and return it as an attack. However now was not the time to be awed because here comes more guards. Two guards who brandished long-swords went after her while a spear user and a one-handed-sword user attacked Archerko.

Agnes was worried for Archerko's sake but she had her own share to deal with. The two guards attacked at the same time. One attacked with a thrust and one did a horizontal swing. She side-stepped to avoid the thrust and caused the guard to fall forward uncontrollably. Immediately after dodging, she blocked the swing with her sword and kicked that attacker away. Then she took notice of the first attacker who was now behind her and stabbed him mercilessly from behind. The sword crushed the man's spine, punctured his lungs and passed through his stomach. He died immediately before Agnes could pull the sword back.

Archerko on the other hand was having trouble with her share. She managed to just barely dodge the quick thrusts from the spear of a guard. After one thrust which caused her to roll on the ground to avoid she was caught under the other guard who was ready to use a two-handed downward slash. There was no time to waste, her body was too weak to dodge from this position so her only choice was to retaliate. She swung her sword violently upwards diagonally while she pushed herself to stand. Her sword cut the guy across the chest as Archerko passed him. Her violent motion caused the sword to fly upwards from her hand leaving her defenseless. The spear user took advantage of this and attempted to run though her with his spear. The familiar rotated her body just in the nick of time to dodge the guard and caught her sword in midair. Immediately after she felt her sword touch her palm she grasped it firmly and performed a backward swing and sliced through her opponent's spine. The guard fell to his knees then dropped. It was a beautiful demonstration of sword fighting prowess that looked almost like acrobatics.

Agnes who saw this was awed. It was indeed very pleasing to watch. No not the killing part, but the maneuvering part. However just as she marveled at what she just witnessed she saw the girl drop on her side. Her face was more soaked in sweat than it was before. She has reached her limit.

"Archerko!" She shouted hoping that her voice would revive the girl to her feet. Because she was too preoccupied with Archerko she forgot that one guard was still unto her. She felt her shoulder get punctured by the thick tip of her enemy's sword. If the guard was more experienced her arm would be flying right now or worse she would be dead. She leaped back then thrust her sword forward while kicking the ground to increase her power. Her sword connected with the man's liver, a fatal blow. She won that fight but now the other remaining five guards are more fired up to attack her.

She backed away beside the familiar where she would make her stand. "Agnes… you can't stay here anymore you're wounded." She heard Archerko say weakly. She looked at the girl beside her who was still smiling at her.

"Just shut up! I won't let them kill you or have you! Do you hear me?" Agnes scolded Archerko. She wasn't going to leave the girl alone no matter what.

"Okay… then can you please hold them long enough… I'm going to try something…" It looked like the girl needed all her strength just to sit up. She unsheathed her sword and closed her eyes as she held out her arms. She looked almost like she was holding another sword but there was nothing in her hands. What was she going to do?

"What are you…" The captain wondered what the girl beside her was doing. Still, to defend her was her only option. She stepped forward then raised her sword to signal her enemies that she was ready for any attack. Just as the enemies decided to come at her all at once. Something shined brightly from behind.

Agnes looked at what the girl was doing and she saw a silhouette of a golden sword form inside the girl's hands. Whatever it was, it was something that would turn the tide of battle immediately. For some reason she felt that weapon the girl was projecting promised victory.

The men's faces looked like they were in both awe and despair. Then, some of them lunged immediately, probably in an attempt to stop the familiar right there before she could complete whatever it was. They were met by the captain's resilient sword and were repelled. She would stake everything at Archerko's move and her role now is to make sure she defends her before it finishes.

She repelled on coming attacks fiercely. Her wound made it hard for her to deliver successful fatal blows but it was still in her capabilities to successfully push them back. Even in a five on one situation the captain could hold herself well. She had to. The knight waited for the familiar to finish but suddenly the light disappeared behind her. What could have happened?

Agnes turned behind her to see what was happening. She saw two new people. Archerko was resting inside the arms of one who had a reddish brown hair "using something like that in this state is suicidal. Leave this to me." The new comer laid the familiar in the arms of another in a maid outfit before walking beside the knight while making cracking sounds with her fists. The captain knew that this person was an ally. She wondered how she found them but now a new fight is beginning.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile back in the academy<p>

The princess and the mages were still at the hot springs. They were no longer in the hot water but they were sitting on the rocks beside the spring. They had the academy chef bake them some bread and some drinks to enjoy while they spent their time together. The past few minutes were nothing but light hearted talks of aesthetics which mostly involved breasts. Louise of course hated that topic so like Tabitha, she mostly kept silent only answering back when talked to.

"What's taking the captain so long?" Louise sighed anxiously. It's close to an hour since the captain left to find Archerko. All the talk about boobs and other useless crap took her mind of it but now she remembered about her missing familiar. She's becoming more and more suspicious. She has this impression that Agnes knew something but didn't want to share it with everyone else. Louise wondered what it could be that she was being so secretive about.

Kirche patted Louise's shoulder to comfort her. "You know those two. They're closer to each other than what they may seem. I bet they just probably strolled somewhere and forgot to come back here."

Henrietta agreed with the tanned woman and added "if that's the case I'll need to speak with the captain later and chastise her about worrying us." The princess was never really someone who punished her subordinates. Every time one of her knights would make a mistake, she would just talk to them in a carefree manner and let them go scathe free.

Louise tried to calm her nerves by eating some of the bread the chef baked for them. The taste was great. It was not too sweet and the taste of the chocolate stuffed inside melted in her mouth almost instantly, almost like fudge. "_I need to stop worrying about that troublesome familiar" _she thought to herself. _"This bread is really quite something I wonder if Archerko will…_ Ah!" The mage stood up and threw the bread away bashfully. It seems that every time she conditioned herself to relax the next thing that will come to her mind is that familiar.

"She really can't stop worrying about her can she?" said Henrietta to Kirche while she gawked awkwardly at the flailing pink-haired. She found Louise's actions kind of cute but also pitiful and these sentiments were shared by Kirche.

"Ara… maybe we should find the captain too…" Kirche suggested. Henrietta called one of the knights guarding the entrance of the bath. The knight was eager to answer the summons for she adored the princess so.

The knight kept her head turned away from where the three nobles were standing with only towels on. Her face was red as she tried to steal glances even though her own morale forbade her so. Still, if she wanted to take the princess' orders she will need to talk to her directly wouldn't she?

"Please look for the captain, we're worried and she has been away long enough. Please make sure that my friend's familiar is also with her." Henrietta requested politely. She didn't notice the soft brushes of pink on her knight's knight stuttered before nodding her head to accept the task. She immediately marched to find the captain, eager to please her princess.

Louise wasn't cheerful about the idea of sending someone else to find them. It's like a cycle of failure where the person they send becomes the next person to get lost. She honestly wanted to look for them herself.

About fifteen minutes later, a glitter of hope appeared as the knight they sent came back with another knight. She was dragging her by the clothes. This other knight was tearfully crying as she was dragged by her collar. "Princess, I found this girl and she told me that she saw the captain leave with her horse outside the academy."

Henrietta and the others were shocked to hear that. Henrietta stood up and quickly approached the knight. "Where did she go?" She asked with a stern and impatient voice. Louise followed her and urged the knight to answer the question. Unfortunately the knight didn't know anything except that she brought her weapon with her and she left in a hurry.

The two friends wondered where the two missing people could be outside the academy. Then, they suddenly remembered what they were talking in the carriage… Count Mott. They looked at each other wide eyed as they both came up with the same conclusion.

"No… no way… it can't be…" Louise shook her head in disbelief knowing that her familiar charged alone in that fortress of no return. She blamed herself for not seeing thru the girl's feelings before she allowed the princess to drag her. Siesta was already Archerko's friend. Of course after hearing that the maid could be violated by some evil count, she would not take it sitting down.

Henrietta hugged Louise to calm her down and said "please don't blame yourself Louise it's my fault. I was too eager to experience the hot springs with you." She pleaded to Louise. At that moment she decided to take action.

"You two, ask the professors and the principal for help. This is an imperial order. We will follow the captain to the Count's mansion!" Henrietta commanded the two knights available in front of her. The two saluted and hurried to alert the principal.

Kirche and Tabitha approached Louise and the princess and offered their help. Louise disagreed and denied their help because it doesn't really concern them. Kirche tried to reason with Louise saying "there will be skilled mages there and you will need more mages like us to fight back."

As a mage herself, Louise felt a little insulted with that comment. But she understood perfectly what Kirche meant. However if the principal would offer some of his professors to aid them in their fight then she would gladly turn down Kirche's offer. She never really considered that tanned woman as a perfect friend, or even a friend, but to trouble them by asking them to fight a battle they're not concerned with is something that she didn't want to happen.

Not long after, the knights came back with the principal with them. He had a look of concern on his face. Louise and the others asked him for some aid. Unfortunately, his response was unfavorable as most of the professors were outside the academy for their own personal researches as well. Even professor Colbert was not present that night and was set to come back the day after tomorrow.

"But principal the captain and Louise's familiar will…" Henrietta urged the principal for some help.

The principal sighed and explained how he couldn't do anything about it. He could ask a courier to send them summons but it would take three hours at the least to have them come. By that time, everything might be over and it may be too late. "I'm sorry, but here please take these…" The principal apologized and used his magic to levitate a box he dragged along with him. "These are magical potions, they will heal most injuries."

Louise knew that it was out of the principal's hands "… we understand…" she said with a disappointed face. She had to agree on taking Kirche and Tabitha now. Otherwise she's not sure if the Count would honor the princess' presence there and let the two come with them unharmed. Worst case scenario would be that they would be attacked as well. "I guess you can come." She turned to Kirche and her friend Tabitha. The tanned girl was happy to oblige while the blue haired mage just silently nodded her head while reading her tome.

"We would like to come as well…" A man's voice interrupted them while they talked. It was the chef who facilitated the kitchen. He had a determined look on his face which three maids shared. He had a huge spatula he grasped in his right hand and a big frying pan in his left. Are those to be some kind of weapons?

"I'm sorry but…" Louise felt weird accepting these four into the party. They knew no magic and knew nothing about combat. She had to decline them politely. The four however still insisted.

"Please Miss Valliere!" They begged. "Siesta is our friend and we couldn't forgive ourselves when we allowed that bastard take her! Now we…" One of the maids started crying. Louise understood what they were feeling. How could she say no now?

She turned to her friend for her opinion on the matter "princess?" she asked. She felt bad for leaving this decision to Henrietta, she was burdened enough. But the princess would know more about these kinds of things since she dealt with similar affairs in the castle. Or so she thought.

"If they truly want to come then it's pointless to stop them." The princess smiled at her friend and agreed to take the bunch with them. "Besides we're extremely lacking in man power anyway." Louise had to agree with the princess there. Eleven is at least better than four when it comes to storming a fortress.

Without further delay they secured the royal carriage outside the gates inside the stables. One of the horses were missing, it was the one used by the captain a while ago. The royal carriage could only fit six people which included the driver and a person beside him. Fortunately, the principal also lent them the academy's official carriage which could fit five people as well. The knights acted as the drivers and escorts while Tabitha who chose to ride her blue dragon took flight in the skies. They were ready.

They didn't know what was waiting for them there. Whether the Count will honor the princess or attack them. One thing's certain and that is they will bring their friends back tonight. They only had three low ranking knights who still lacked experience in fighting. If a battle breaks out there was little chance that they would make it out alive and even less to win.

"Princess are you sure about this?" Louise asked worriedly. After all if the princess dies then the kingdom would be in turmoil. But more than that, she didn't want her friend to face danger because of her. That said, she wondered what capabilities the princess had. Because other than talking the Count of the battle, she could not imagine Henrietta taking a weapon and clobbering someone with it.

Henrietta frowned at Louise and said "it's too late to convince me to back down now." She said this with a confident expression. "I may not look like it but I'm a very capable healer!"

Louise remembered that as a princess, Henrietta was at least obliged to learn a few trainings in magic. It would seem that healing was the course her friend chose to specialize in. It's truly in character for the princess to be a healer because a princess rarely takes the path of a sword. They usually stay at the back while leading their loyal knights to battle.

The pink-haired mage glanced to the other mage sitting beside her who calls herself Kirche. This mage is a triangle fire mage. Other than casting flame spells, she's really talented in persuasion and hopefully she can use those extra fat on her chest she calls breasts to convince the Count.

"For some reason I felt like you were thinking of something really bad about me Louise…" Kirche felt chill run though her spine before Louise averted her gaze.

"You should be used to it every day already." Louise coldly replied. Truthfully enough, Kirche is known for her seduction and embarrassing actions so most students looked at her the same way Louise did. Although for men it was probably more of arousal while women wallowed in disgust. Then again, Kirche is one of the students who excelled both in theory and practice so most ladies just ignored her. There were few who could match her in class: Montmorency and Tabitha are one of those few if not the only two.

Kirche always considered Louise to be her rival… sort of. Well really the flat chest of a mage is more of her play thing. But fact is when it came to theory and exams, Louise would always surpass her in grades. If not for Louise's unfortunate luck when it comes to actual practice she imagined Louise to be far better than her.

Flying above their carriage is the Chevalier named Tabitha. "Is she going to be fine up there?" Louise asked Kirche who she believed to be really close to Tabitha. She was worried that the cold night breeze would kill the girl before they arrived at their destination.

"Tabitha is used to cold weather." Kirche replied with her 'guarandamntee' look. "You may not know this, but it's almost always winter in Tabitha's home town."

"And also, Tabitha is a Chevalier which is a coveted status amongst mages and warriors." Henrietta added. She's the princess so of course she would know things like that. Chevalier is a status given only to the most excellent warriors. Tabitha achieved this feat even in a young age. Currently she's only a triangle class wind mage but she has shown potential to reach square class.

Compared to the two mages and even to the princess and her healing powers, Louise felt inferior. But amongst them, she had the best familiar and that's at least something to brag about. Right now their mission is to save that girl whatever happens. In this speed, they would easily reach their destination in thirty minutes.

Meanwhile at that same time in the mansion, the girl who everybody is worried about is lying on her side almost fainted. She can see blood dripping from her comrade's shoulder. If this continued, both of them will perish. She has to stop being a burden and do something to save both of them. No, at this point she just needed to save the captain. It was her fault that the knight was dragged into this fight. If only she decided to finish them all off earlier. Her title back home as the ultimate hero of justice stopped her from doing that. She just wanted to show off her powers to scare them into giving up but now she can't even protect herself.

In pain and anguish, she pulled herself up. She can't allow death to befall the knight defending her. She asked her to leave her to her fate but the knight stubbornly declined. "Can you please hold them? I'm going to try something?" She said.

With very little prana she has left she decides to bet everything on one move. Mass projection of weapons is now beyond her, but if she can concentrate her very being into tracing one powerful weapon then maybe she can still turn the tide of battle. She sheathed her new sword as she imagines a powerful phantasm in her mind. It's something she knew very well. A sword that was long lost in chivalry. It wasn't as powerful as its successor but surpasses it in divinity.

Brilliant light erupted in her hands where she imagined the sword to appear. She heard the guards whimper, for a second she thought that might actually scare the guards away. Unfortunately that only made them more desperate to attack her. Thankfully the captain was skilled enough to take them on in a five on one defensively. She knew no matter how skilled the captain was she was only a normal human. She wouldn't last long especially if the Count decided to use his magic to butt in. She had to finish this phantasm.

"All… the components… have been materialized… raising quality…" she can imagine the sword finally being formed in her hands. This was it. The moment the weapon fully materializes she will grab it and end the fight there. She could feel the hilt solidify, and the blade was beginning to form. Then… she felt something hit the back of her neck. The incomplete sword in her hands shattered into shards as everything around her fades to black. She failed, whatever it was, she was stopped.

For some time all there was, was darkness. Then as if she heard someone calling her name, her body jolted as she sat upwards. "Hwoah!" She gasped. She found herself laying on a futon inside a wooden house. The place was familiar. Yes, it was the place she loved the most, Shirou's home. She was wearing a blue t-shirt and casual shorts that she always loved to wear because they were comfortable.

"Are you okay?" A boy's voice called to her from behind. She turned around and found Shirou there looking worriedly at her. "You sounded like you were having a nightmare."

Archerko touched her face then the floor and then her surroundings "T-then everything was a dream?" She asked.

She saw Shirou nod and approach to sit down on the futon with her. "Whatever it was, it was only a dream okay?" The boy comforted her then gave her a gentle hug. She blushed at the scent of the man he admired.

"Where's Rin?" She asked while still enjoying the warmth inside Shirou's embrace. The counter-counter-guardian wanted to see everyone she missed while in her dream.

Shirou ended the embrace and said "she's currently at school." He explained. "I would guess club duties. Hey maybe if we talk about your dream you'd feel better." Archerko saw the caring light inside the boy's eyes.

"Hmm…" She placed her finger on her temple pretending to think. "It was a rather weird dream. I dreamt that I was summoned to this world called Halkegenia. It was a world not so different in our world, only that magic was more prevalent than technology." She explained.

"Silly Archer, the holy grail war ended years ago." Shirou giggled before patting and rubbing the girl's hair gently. "We're one big family now, you, me, Saber, Sakura, Illya, and Rin." Archerko smiled, it was great to be back to the family that loved her. She gave the boy a big hug while she held back her tears.

"Archer!" A stern voice interrupted them. It was Arturia who had an angry look on her face. "How dare you hug Shirou like that while you have yet to pay me the ice cream that you so enjoyably ate?" Saber demanded. The girl was a beautiful nymph who had blond hair that she would always tie in a bun. She had white complexion and the fair skin of the most beautiful European woman. She was wearing a white blouse that had along sleeve that could almost cover her hands.

Archerko playfully stuck out her tongue and ran to the front door. "Didn't I win that duel?" She teased. She loved playing with the blond haired

"You just negated my Excalibur blast with your own Noble Phantasm. It's just a tie!" Saber replied while chasing the silver-haired girl.

As soon as they reached the yard Arturia summoned her famous weapon of legends the Excalibur while Archerko projected her favorite Kanshou and Bakuya. The counter-counter-guardian was the first to strike as she leaped in the air while roaring "hiyahhhhh!" It was a good effort but her flying kick was easily dodged by the other epic spirit.

She too had to dodge Arturia's fast swings, incomparable to the sluggish abilities of those in her dream. Every time they would clash swords they would exchange smiles and taunting words. They may not admit it but both of them are fond of each other. Archerko loved how Saber would always rage every time she would get her meal stolen. While Arturia loved chasing the girl around like a kid while using her stolen food as an excuse.

"Prepare yourself Archer!" She heard Arturia scream. This was it! The sure kill maneuver that Saber was so proud of.

"If last time it didn't work, what makes you think it would now?" Archerko taunted as she showed her friend the rune on her hand. The rune shone bright before it turned into a black bow. "This is my method of defense! Sealed bow!"

"Oh it will work!" Archerko noticed Saber engulfed in another dimension. It was her everlasting utopia, the Avalon. This is bad for the Archerko since when Arturia uses her Excalibur blast inside Avalon the power raises ten-fold.

"Then come at me! Seibahhhhh!" Archerko pulled on the string of her bow harder as if she was charging an invisible arrow with more impact.

"Ex!"

"Frozen!"

"Calibahhhhh!" Saber released swung the sword which released an immense blast of prana which was magnified by the Avalon. It looked like a tsunami of light that threatened to engulf everything in its path.

"Fantasy!" At the same time, Archerko too released her trump card. A twisting arrow of pitch black darkness that twisted space as it passed. Everything in its vicinity even the prana blast was absorbed into its vertex. The arrow now filled with Excalibur's light shot out to space. Everyone who saw it thought it was some sort of rocket launch.

Archerko fell on her rear because of the recoil and fatigue. Using that noble phantasm always tires her a lot. It was after all her strongest weapon. Her hand was smoking as if it was just burning. But she wasn't hurt. It was just the mana residue of the weapon which she just relinquished.

"Even with Avalon, it still wouldn't hit." She saw Arturia approach her and reached to her a helping hand. Arturia pulled her up as a friend would after a friendly practice. Even after that seemingly merciless exchange they had smiles on their faces.

"I think I can safely say that I won that time!" said Archerko who was still breathing heavily while talking to Saber.

"Maybe I should try firing two consecutive blasts…" Saber's eyes narrowed down on Archerko's face. She looked like she was seriously considering trying it. It was never in her attitude to admit defeat.

"Please no, that would be too troublesome." Archerko jokingly giggled. But she was half serious as she wasn't sure if she could fire two of those arrows in a row to counter two Excalibur blasts.

"Stop playing around you two, you're going to miss your classes!" Shirou stepped outside the house and scolded them. He had a persuasive look on his face that both had to obey, especially Arturia. "Go take a bath then go to class!"

"One doesn't just simply ask a girl to take a bath unless… are you planning on peaking Shirou?" Archerko teased Shirou while seductively clinging on Saber to make it look more graphic which was followed by Saber's gasps. She looked like a little sister cowering in fear behind her older sister to hide from a scary man.

"What?" Shirou gasped as well with a look bewildered look on his face. "No I just- I…"

"S-Shirou is it true, were you aiming to…" Saber asked with such innocent face. That combined with Archerko's natural arousing form was enough for everyone to see a small lump appear poking out between Shirou's pants.

The boy immediately covered his stiff wood and started running away while Archerko giggled playfully. Putting people in these situations always made her day. Arturia on the other hand is still oblivious to what she just put Shirou through. The blonde girl had a clueless face as to why Shirou just dashed away with a face that was as red as an apple.

Archerko immediately noticed that Shirou's bathroom was no longer the small bathroom that she was used to. She remembered that because of the boy's part time jobs that usually involved fixing things, which he excelled at thanks to reinforcement, he was able to pay for renovations to enlarge the house. Not that it was small before but it's roomier now. The bathroom that used to only house a tub and a sink now had four shower outlets and a Jacuzzi, almost like what you would find in a public bath (except the Jacuzzi).

After removing their clothes and putting them on the laundry basket the two girls took the outlets which were next to each other. Each of them had a stool to sit on and a sponge and towel with soap to wipe themselves with. They would conserve running water by only opening the shower every time they would rinse the soap off their gorgeous bodies.

Archerko glanced at the blonde next to her. "Hey, Saber, want me to wash your back for you?" Archerko asked cheerfully. She looked very eager while holding up that towel which she intended to use on Saber's body.

The legendary knight blushed and said "non-sense I can perfectly do it myself… hey!" Saber declined but before she knew it, the silver-haired was already behind her and scrubbing her back.

"We're family now. It's only natural that we do this for each other right?" The counter-counter-guardian happily rubbed the wet and soapy towel on the knight's back and shoulders. She could feel the other girl's tense body and thought that it was probably because Saber wasn't used to skin-ship.

"I- I suppose…" Saber replied while secretly enjoying Archerko's service which felt like a soft and gentle massage.

Archerko wondered if Saber had such luxury as a king before back in Camelot. "Saber didn't you have people bathing you back in Camelot?" She asked with a curious face while squeezing the sponge which she just lathered with soap for use on Saber's thighs.

"Most kings that preceded me had," Saber's face looked livelier. It seemed that she was delighted talking about her home's culture. "Unfortunately I had to keep my gender from my people so I could not indulge in such."

"Eh?" Archerko noticed the slight tone of loneliness in Saber's voice. She immediately made inferences from that change in tone. "You sound like you really wanted to experience it." The girl grinned. She felt Saber's body jolt and tremble.

"N-no! I have never…" Saber furiously tried to deny but it was apparent from her blushing face that Archerko's accusation was true. She tried to turn to face Archerko and explain but the other girl stopped her and hugged her from behind.

Archerko playfully rubbed her skin with Saber's and said "don't worry Arturia we'll always do this from now on!"

Saber groaned angrily for being teased like this. "You just do whatever you want do you?" She said while holding on Archerko's arm which was still gently hugging her above her shoulders. She probably never had someone as impudent as Archerko in her era.

"Back in the grail wars my independent action stat was at A+! I get to do what I want!" Archerko replied with a proud voice. She closed her eyes a bit but to her surprise the girl she was bathing was no longer in front of her a second later.

"What a coincidence… As king I also do what I want, where I want." Archerko heard Saber's voice from behind her. She felt a hand touch her back before she got shoved forward on the stool.

Archerko looked behind her to see Saber holding a towel of her own. She had a grim look on her face while she smiled. "S-saber?" Archerko wondered what Saber was going to do. The knight forced the silver-haired to sit on the stool.

"We're a family after all right?" Saber returned Archerko's line from earlier. "I'm not used to this kind of job so please bear with me." Saber said this with a scary and threatening voice.

Archerko could feel a powerful murderous intent behind her. Did she go too far? "H-have mercy." She pleaded fearfully as she felt the towel first touch her bare back.

Meanwhile outside the bath a boy was stunned as he accidentally came to listen on the conversation going on inside. He had the uniforms which the two girls were supposed to wear and he intended to hang it there for them. He was petrified outside the room listening to this conversation:

"S-saber n-not there it hurts." Archerko's meek voice pleaded.

"It's my first time. But now I understand why you like doing this. It's fun." Saber's voice mercilessly ignored Archerko's cries.

"Gah! Saber that place is!"

"Stop moving so much!"

"But that's…" At this point, Archerko's heavy breathing can be heard from inside the bath.

"I see you're weak on this spot…"

"Gyah!"

"Stop squirming we're almost done!"

Shirou decided the best thing to do is just leave the uniforms hanging on the door knob. He hurriedly walked away to his room trying to make sense of what he just heard. Upon reaching his room he locked the door tight. Only God knows what he did there.

After a few minutes in the Jacuzzi the two finally calmed down. They were surprised to see their uniforms outside. Archerko wondered if Shirou heard them. What could he have imagined about what they were doing? That didn't matter now because they were late. Both of them rushed to school after putting on their uniforms

Their uniform consisted of a blouse which had long white sleeves with a brown torso and a black miniskirt. They wore a red ribbon below their collar. They had leather shoes with no lace on them and stockings that extended to their knee to cover their legs. Their uniforms suited them well. The plain color scheme of the blouse emphasized their beautiful faces and the skimpy size magnified their cuteness.

Inside the school both of them were in the idol-class status, much like Rin Tohsaka. Boys would gawk at them every time. Saber found this to be annoying while Archerko wouldn't mind acting cute in front of them whenever Shirou is around. Sakura and Rin who both were in the same school had no problem about Archerko's attitude. Rin would sometimes feel awkward being with the girl because she didn't always enjoy being in the spotlight- and being with Archerko means being in the spotlight.

Today their first class coincidentally is 'European Studies'. Also a big coincidence, the lesson is about the literature of King Arthur. Both Archerko and Arturia sat at the back of the class because they were late enrollees. Archerko was enjoying the awkward moment with Saber while they listened to the teacher talk about the legends of King Arthur.

"King Arthur is a romantic fool who fell head over heels when he first laid his eyes on Guinevere." The teacher started explaining. Saber had her palm on her forehead while she avoided Archerko's teasing gaze. As the real King Arthur, she felt embarrassed to be listening in a subject about her. Especially because the subject deals mostly with lies that she had to make to cover her identity while ruling over her people.

Archerko tugged on Arturia's sleeve. "I never knew you were such the lover Saber." She said in a whisper while enjoying Saber's flustered face.

Saber shrugged Archerko's hand off and said "it wasn't like that!" She said this in a loud voice that she even caught the teacher's attention. Everybody in class turned to look at them wondering what the commotion was all about. The teacher looked at them with a scrutinizing look. It's understandable if he felt insulted by Saber's actions.

"I-I apologize…" Arturia quickly stood up and bowed politely as she is accustomed to Japanese tradition.

The teacher felt better after the apology but reminded Arturia of the class rules. "Next time, share to the class whatever it is you're talking about," said the teacher referring to both the two girls. "Going back to where we stopped, Lancelot was the most loyal knight of King Arthur. There were other knights of course and amongst them were Sir Gawain and amongst them Arthur was closest to the knight who wielded the Arondight."

"So what was between you and this Lancelot person?" Archerko whispered to Saber who was still embarrassed from getting called a while ago.

"If by that, you meant how he was related to me then he was my right hand man. He was my most faithful knight." Saber explained and dodged the true meaning of Archerko's question. Amongst her knights, she was most fond of Lancelot. "He was a true friend. He cared not only for my well-being as a king but also for my well-being as a person." Saber said with a cheerful face.

"So between Guinevere and Lancelot who…"

"I told you we're nothing like that!" Once more Saber couldn't stop herself from raising her voice. This time she even stood up and slammed her hands on the table.

It only took five seconds before they soon found themselves standing beside their classroom along the corridor while each holding two buckets of water. Archerko didn't feel bad getting sent out. Teasing Saber like that was worth the punishment. Saber on the other hand looked like she wanted to spill the bucket on Archerko in anger.

"My ancestors will never forgive me for this. How could I let myself be led on like that?" Saber lamented while she was close to tears.

Archerko felt she had to say something or she might suffer a bad fate later on. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I promise I'll make you a great feast later when we get home." She said to Saber who suddenly turned to her with hopeful eyes. "How does fried shrimp sound?"

"Ten of them?" Saber asked who all of a sudden had stars sparkling out of her eyes. At this point, Archerko was no longer sure if she said the right thing.

"If Shirou has that many stacked in the fridge." Archerko smiled to hide her uneasiness. She felt sorry for Shirou who will have to buy groceries again after just refilling their provisions. That aside, Archerko has always been good at cooking. The dish she cooked the most, but not necessarily her favorite was fried rice. She's the second chef in their home and the first was of course Shirou. Every time Shirou was busy at school the task to prepare Saber's meals falls on her so she knows the knight's palate.

"If that the case then I'll be waiting for that feast!" Saber looked really happy. She may have even forgotten the buckets of water she was holding on each hand while a puddle of water formed beneath her.

Having taken care of that, Archerko decided to take a peek at the classroom where they just got sent out off. The teacher was still busy explaining the lessons and from the looks of it, he was talking about Excalibur. It was a pity because Saber would have been really happy talking about her famous sword.

On the back of the room she noticed a rather peculiar girl. The girl had pink hair and she was silently listening to the professor while everyone else exchanged murmurs. She was about five feet tall, had a petite figure and her face was slightly covered by her bangs. She was isolated from everyone and her chair was slightly away from anybody. Even Archerko never noticed the girl before until now.

"Arturia, do you know that girl?" Archerko asked Saber while pointing at the silent girl at the back of the room. For some reason, that girl peaked Archerko's curiosity.

Saber looked at the window and said "no I assume she's one of the transfer students like us." Technically, Archerko and Saber are not transfer students since they never went to school, although they are more knowledgeable than most students there. "She seems sad doesn't she?"

"Yeah, I doubt she has friends here." Archerko said with a sad frown on her face. She didn't experience the same kind of depression when she felt entered school since Sakura, Rin and Shirou were there for her… not to mention her fellow epic spirit Saber.

"Let me guess, you want to be her friend don't you?" Saber asked. Archerko was surprised because Saber knew exactly what she was thinking. Archerko thought that it was because they have already crossed blades and the simple fact that they're currently living together.

Archerko smiled and said, "If she will let me." This smile was returned by Saber. She decided that she will approach the girl later lunch. Saber on the other hand had other plans. She already had plans to eat with Rin. They will probably have a talk about tonight's patrol and such.

After the class finished they were finally allowed to go in to have their other classes. Two classes passed worth an hour each then lunch finally came. While everybody went out of the classroom to have their lunch in the canteen Archerko remained in the classroom and approached the girl. Besides, she didn't need to buy any food for she prepared her own bentou. The pink haired girl didn't seem to have anything to eat or any money to buy anything. Did she forget to bring any?

"Here please have some of mine!" Archerko opened her bentou and offered it to the girl.

"Huh?" The girl raised her face to look at the silver-haired. She had a rather lonely face. Archerko's heart almost dropped just to see that melancholic look. "I… I…" The girl hesitantly looked away and tried to deny Archerko's offer.

Archerko smirked after seeing the girl's shy face. "Oh don't be shy I prepared too many. I'm afraid people will call me a glutton if I finish all of these by myself." She said. She remembered a girl who would gladly finish all of this by herself and still be hungry. Thankfully that girl is currently with Rin in the cafeteria.

The girl took a pair of chopsticks and tried one of the octopus shaped hotdogs Archerko made. Her face lit up in delight while she said "this is delicious."

Archerko felt relieved that the girl liked her cooking. "They are aren't they?" She said with a proud smile. "I take pride with my cooking skills. Please have as much as you like." She took another pair of chopsticks and ate some of her own hotdogs and cabbages. "I'm Archerko, what's your name?" She asked.

"I'm… Francoise Le Blanc…" The girl replied rather softly. What a peculiar name… Archerko wondered where the girl was from. That kind of name was normal in France. That would mean that she was an exchange student from overseas.

"That's a very beautiful name," Archerko praised the girl hoping that the girl would smile. The girl blushed and hid her face under her bangs once more. Archerko found this to be cute.

"Thank you for the delicious food…" The girl thanked Archerko once more just as she finished her last bite. All in all she ate pretty much three quarters of Archerko's bentou although she didn't notice it. The hotdog was her favorite but she had lots of eel and shrimp as well.

Archerko who was still hungry sighed to herself. But even if she didn't get much to eat she was already satisfied after seeing that girl smile. Something about that girl reminded her of someone. She can't seem to remember who that person was but every time she would see that pink hair and that innocent face, a silhouette of another girl appears in her mind. Who could it be?

"Do you live alone?" Archerko asked, wondering where the girl lived. She imagined that the girl would be living in a mansion with her rich parents who had the money to send her here to study.

"I used to live with someone… but that someone is gone now…" The girl replied with a lonely tone. Whoever that someone was seemed to be really important to the girl. Archerko felt like she stepped on a land mine with that topic. She had to do something and fast.

"U-umm would you like me to cook for you again tomorrow?" She asked, hoping this would lighten up the mood. Surprisingly, it did, as the girl raised her head once more and nodded.

The two girls chatted until the bell that signaled the end of lunch came. Saber came back with a happy smile on her face. It seemed that Rin was pretty kind to treat the girl to a feast fit for a king. Archerko went back to her seat beside Saber.

"You look happy," Archerko teased Saber.

"Yes, I had Rin treat me to some ribs, some octopus and some garlic rice." Saber replied while still smiling as she remembered the savory flavor of that meal she just had.

Archerko sighed and felt sorry for Rin who had to sooth the beast inside Saber's stomach. Honestly she had no idea how Saber maintains such a lovely figure while pigging on such fatty food. She thought that it must be the privilege of a king or something.

After a few subjects, the time to leave for home finally arrived. Both Saber and Archerko had no clubs so they get to go home earlier than most students. Rin and Sakura both had things to do so they stayed. On the way home, they came across an ice cream store where Saber stopped to stare at the products.

Archerko remembered that Saber had a sweet-tooth. She felt sorry for the knight and decided to buy her a cone of vanilla ice cream. Saber was happy to receive the ice cream but "thank you very much but I wanted the rocky road…"

"I'm sorry I didn't know… I… I…" Archerko found herself looking at a cute, pleading Saber. Those glassy eyes were something you just cannot say no to. If she declined the knight now, she doesn't know if she would be able to sleep tonight without being plagued by her conscience. "Mister please give me another cone of rocky road." She took out her wallet and paid for the other cone of ice cream which Saber happily received. Archerko expected Saber to give her the vanilla ice cream but to her surprise, the knight kept both. She didn't blame Saber because she knew Saber was just oblivious to these kinds of things.

On a corner just a few blocks away from their usual route Archerko noticed three men ganging up on a single girl near a cross road and no one seemed to care about helping her. While Saber was still busy enjoying her ice cream Archerko ran to the spot and upon closer inspection she noticed that the girl in trouble was the girl from before. She was being bullied and pushed around. Archerko feared that if she didn't interfere it might escalate to something worse and she might get violated.

"Hey you bastards what do you think you're doing?" Archerko stepped in between the girl and the bullies. Francoise immediately hid behind Archerko fretfully. Archerko gave the girl a comforting smile before facing the bullies who were mad for the silver-hair's interference.

The bullies approached both girls in an intimidating fashion. Some had their hands inside their pockets while the others were cracking their fists. All of them had a lewd smile on their faces. "Another oujo?" One of them who stood front most of their group asked. He seemed to be the leader.

"Ganging up on a girl, you guys should be ashamed of yourselves." Archerko replied calmly. She still hoped that they could solve this without her giving them a few lumps and bruises.

Fate would have it that the bullies she was dealing with were idiots. They couldn't sense the mighty difference between them and the epic spirit in front of them. Their chosen option was to grab her collar to intimidate her. It's almost like a mosquito stupidly flying near an electric lamp because it was attracted to its hypnotizing brilliance.

Almost by instinct, Archerko grabbed the guy's ring finger the moment he grabbed her blouse. A disgusting cracking sound could be heard by people near them which was the sound of the joint's breaking. Archerko mercilessly pushed the guy's finger backwards until its nail could touch the skin of the back of his palm. The man cried in pain as he gripped his injured hand with his free hand. The other bullies who saw this no longer had the courage to try their luck and pulled their leader up before running away like a coward.

Archerko waved playfully at the thugs before turning to Francoise. "Are you okay?" She asked while she examined the girl's body for any bruises or injuries those men would've caused. Thankfully there was none. It seemed like she arrived just in time.

"T-thank you…" The girl stood still and bowed in gratitude.

Everything might be alright for now but Archerko was worried. This might be the route her new friend takes every day. If so, then those bullies will surely come back with a vengeance. "Do you always take this route when going home?" She asked just to be sure.

The girl nodded silently. Archerko was right. Now she knows that what she only caused more trouble. She must do something or else tomorrow or another day she might find Francoise badly bruised, violated or worse dead in an alleyway.

"Isn't there any other routes you can take?" Archerko asked worriedly.

The girl waved her head. "This is my only route… there's really no other way…" She said softly and almost in a whisper.

"Hey Archer!" A voice called out. It was Saber who just finished eating her rocky road flavored ice cream. Now she was blissfully licking on the vanilla ice cream that Archerko bought earlier. "What were you doing? You suddenly just disappeared." She asked before noticing the girl beside Archerko. "Oh and who might she be?"

"Her name is Francoise, the girl I told you about in school." Archerko introduced the pink haired girl to the knight. "Oh and Francoise this is Saber, she is my friend." The girl meekly bowed to Arturia who too bowed politely.

"It's an honor to be your acquaintance," said Arturia. She sounded like one of those medeval nobles. It's a part of her that she couldn't change to suit the Japanese style of culture.

"Saber, can you go home first? I'm going to go with her first." Archerko asked. She knew that the best way to help the girl was to escort her.

Saber looked at Archerko curiously. "Did something happen?" She asked.

The silver-haired tilted her head awkwardly and asked "didn't you see those thugs?" She pointed at the corner where the bullies disappeared to.

"Thugs? Oh but I thought they were your acquaintances. Weren't you shaking one of their hands?" Arturia replied.

"Shaking hands?" Archerko placed her palm on her forehead. "Never mind…" She sighed before turning to Francoise then asked if she could come. The girl nodded. Archerko was rather surprised. A normal person would be hesitant to allow someone they just met to walk beside them on the way to their home.

"Archer! You promised. I will not forgive you if you break that promise!" Saber reminded Archerko of the promised feast. Of course she will not forget something that's food related.

Archerko nodded and said "I won't be gone long so don't spoil your appetite before I come back." With that she took off with Francoise.

The way to Francoise's home was very eerie and silent. The houses on the side of the street were shabby and downright scary. If it wasn't close to the city one would say that it's a ghost town. Also, there were very little people outside. It took them two minutes of walking before they saw a man standing outside an old hut staring at them. Archerko waved at the man and tried to force a smile to hide her anxiety. The man frowned at her before sneering and disappearing inside the worn down hut.

"Sure is… a lively neighborhood." Archerko said sarcastically.

Five minutes later they finally made it to Francoise's house. It wasn't too small but it was smaller than Shirou's. Like most of the houses they came across this too was worn down. It was made mostly of old wood which was probably already hollow inside because of termites. The gate was rusty and not surprising the key to open it too was rusty. Inside was no better. There were no decorations. When you enter the place you would see an old living room table and one long couch. There were no televisions nor electric fans.

"Please make yourself at home…" The girl said before inviting Archerko to sit down on the old dusty couch.

Archerko was hesitant at first. Who knows what kind of mites are on those old fabrics? But, to not offend Francoise she say anyway. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. For her to be living in this house she might really be in a bad condition. The school they were studying was government funded so it's free. But other than tuition fee there are other things that you'd need money for. Archerko wonders how she earns that money that she needed for daily living.

"It's not always like this you know…" the girl suddenly said this with a lonely tone. "This used to be a really nice place. But when she disappeared… bad men came and started taking everything…"

Archerko was filled with grief for the girl while she listened. "I'm sorry to hear that… where did 'she' go?" She asked wondering where the girl's companion is. Her impression of this person is that the person is a neglectful bastard who just left this innocent girl alone by herself.

The girl looked away to hide her tears. "I don't know… she just… she just suddenly disappeared. I miss her…" Francoise replied.

Archerko frowned. What kind of heartless jerk would leave Francoise alone? Was she her family? Her guardian? A friend? Whoever she was, it was a big mistake to leave. That aside, Archerko was impressed how Francoise was able to hold up even in this condition. Also, she wondered who the bad men were, the ones who coveted all of Francoise's property.

"Who are the thieves? We might be able to track them if you remember their faces." Archerko asked with full intention to help the girl

The girl slowly lifted her face and said "everyone."

Archerko was puzzled with this reply. Everyone? Did she mean everyone in this town? Everyone she knew? Or was this some sort of family affair which was related with inheritance? "What do you mean by 'everyone'?"

"When she left… everything disappeared…" as if ignoring Archerko's question the girl continued her lament. "Only she can bring back everything…"

Whoever 'she' was seemed to be really important to Francoise. Archerko felt sorry for the girl and in fact she wanted to stay with her at least for the day. But she remembered the promise she made to Saber just a while ago.

"I'm not sure I understand, but I want to be your friend. So please try to rely on me from now on." Archerko held the girl's hands. To her surprise the girl suddenly embraced her. That feeling was rather familiar. She enveloped the girl with her own arms gently. For someone she just met, she felt rather comfortable with the girl.

"I'm sorry…" The girl apologized while still resting inside Archerko's arms. "It's just that… for a moment there when you saved me you were like a goddess…"

"A goddess? That's not too shabby! Why don't I be a goddess just for you?" Archerko replied. At that time she didn't really know the gravity of her chosen words. She just felt slightly awkward to be called a 'goddess' for merely saving someone from being bullied, unless of course being bullied was something that happened often to Francoise not just that time. If that's the case, that would explain the why she was missing her lunch or lunch money… if she ever had any.

Upon hearing Archerko said that, the girl looked up to her with a big smile on her face. Archerko couldn't bear that very cute look on the girl's cheeks. She cuddled her in her arms and almost smothered her with embrace. Both of them were in the same year and probably the same age but the girl looked just like a little a little doll. Almost like a child.

"I'm sorry but you're just too cute!" Archerko said as she tightened her embrace. The girl didn't complain at all. In fact, she liked it probably because it has been too long since anyone did this for her. She too tightened her arms around the taller girl.

They chatted and bonded for about two hours before Archerko realized that her promise to Saber is a bit overdue. She needed to go back or she would find a prana blast beside her futon later when she sleeps.

"I'm sorry but I need to go…" Archerko stood up from the couch and waved goodbye to her new friend. Just as she was about to exit the door, she felt a tug on the back of her blouse. Francoise wouldn't let her go.

"I'll see you again tomorrow right?" The girl asked with tearful eyes that looked like they were longing for more companionship.

"Of course, we're classmates remember?" Archerko's heart almost broke when she had to leave her new friend. Somehow she felt that she had to stay. But she too had a family waiting for her. Besides, Saber won't wait that long for her fried shrimp.

Back in their home Archerko found a really impatient Saber. Saber wouldn't say it but she looked boiling inside. Archerko knew she needed to start cooking immediately. Thankfully there were still about a dozen shrimps inside the fridge. "How does fried rice with fried shrimp sound?" Archerko asked.

"I would be delighted!" Saber's mood lightened immediately after hearing that.

"Where's Shirou?" Archerko asked. She thought Shirou would be home by now. The guy had to make an excuse to be absent from school because of a job he couldn't refuse.

"He said he needed to go back to the power plants because something broke." Saber replied. "Rin is still at school and so is Sakura. The only one here is me and Illya." Saber pointed at the room at the far side opposite of the dining room which was owned by Illya.

"Can you call Illya for me please? Dinner is almost ready." She requested to Saber while she skillfully fried the shrimps and made their sauce. She was cooking for everybody and prepared a full course meal. Not only did she prepare shrimps but there were also steaks, pork ribs and some chicken. She made special sauces for each of her dish that would suit everyone's tastes.

Saber nodded and went to call Illya. While the knight was away, Archerko decided to prepare the table while waiting for the dishes to be done. There were six of them so she would need six plates. Her, Saber, Sakura, Shirou, Rin and Illya have always shared meals since the end of the war. Sometimes a certain random blue person would come and add to the mix.

"Archah!" Illya who just came out from her room with Saber started running to Archerko upon seeing her. The little fairy has always adored the silver-haired goddess who she looked up to as a big sister. This was probably because they shared the same body although differed in soul.

"Illya!" Archerko received Illya's embrace and swayed with her. This was the usual scene every time Archerko would come home from school.

"What smells so good?" Illya asked.

"Just my delicious cooking!" Archerko replied with a Nar cist tone before winking at the little Lolita.

The nymph cheered in delight then asked "did you make fried rice?" Fried rice was Archerko's best dish. Archerko nodded.

"I'm really looking forward to your promised fried shrimp." Saber interrupted. She sat on her usual place beside Shirou's seat on the right.

"You're a real glutton aren't you Saber?" Illya asked almost mockingly. She glared at Saber from the side of her eyes while covering her mouth while pretending to giggle.

Saber gasped after that comment. "You can't be more wrong! We knights need our nutrition to fight our endless battles!" Saber explained with a frantic face. She was flailing her hands while holding her chopsticks.

Archerko and Illya laughed at the knight who was still persistently explaining her need for food. In the meantime two other people arrived in the house. It was Rin and Sakura who both had something to do at school. Sakura looked calm and tidy while Rin looked worn out and messy. Archerko walked to the entrance to greet her former master. Sakura is a beautiful girl with long purple hair. She had fair skin and average sized breasts. She wasn't too tall but she's really cute and slender. Rin on the other hand was an A-cup, who always wears her black hair in pony tails. Both of them were wearing their school uniforms.

"Yo!" She raised her hand to greet Rin. "You look… horrible…" She said frankly while observing Rin's messy hair.

Rin stared at her former servant. "Thanks captain obvious!" She said sternly with a really angry and impatient tone. Yep, she probably had a bad day. Her hands lingered over Archerko like she wanted to choke the poor lass.

"Come now, don't be like that or you'll get more wrinkles." Said Archerko who didn't know how to choose her words properly.

An imaginary 'chink' can be heard across the room after Archerko said that careless statement. A switch just flipped inside Rin's brain. She grabbed the nearest object she could find which was a long laundry pole.

"Why you!" The black-haired girl started chasing Archerko who ran outside the house for her own safety. Rin chased the other girl around the yard and around the house while wildly swinging the pole. When she got tired of chasing Archerko she decided to switch to magic and fired off shots of Gandr.

After a few minutes of roughhousing all of them sat down on their respective seats at the dining room. Everybody was there except Shirou who has yet to arrive. Where could he be? It's Japanese custom to wait for everyone before eating. Or at least, it's how most of them were morally raised.

"Where could that Shirou be?" Saber who was itching to take a bite at the fried shrimp in front of her complained. It was almost like the fragrance of the shrimp is pulling on her nose while saying 'eat me'. It can't be helped since it was her favorite food.

"Be patient Saber, I'm sure he was just caught in traffic or something like that." Rin chastised Saber of modern etiquettes which the knight didn't share since she was from the past.

Rin's words were unexpectedly prophetic because Shirou appeared on their front porch a few seconds later. He was wearing a hat and a coat, almost how a father would look like. Illyasviel immediately greeted Shirou with an embrace while everybody else just waved at him.

"I'm sorry guys one of the plant's main pipes blew. It was a pain reinforcing everything without anybody suspecting how I did it." He sighed. His face was a perfect reflection of how a child would act after a failed quiz. "Mmm… is that friend shrimp I smell?" Shirou noticed the dishes prepared on the table. "Wow that's quite a feast! Sakura did you make these? They all look very delicious." He asked as he sat down on his place.

"No, Archerko did." Sakura replied while pointing at Archerko.

"Archerko I never knew you've become such a great cook." Shirou praised the silver-haired.

Archerko felt heavenly being praised by the person she admired the most. "That's a rare compliment coming from you." She smiled back at the red-haired boy.

"Now that we're all here let's have dinner!" Saber cheered. Everyone else followed while saying 'let's eat'.

Their meal was filled with laughs and smiles. They all talked about their day while they enjoyed Archerko's cooking except Saber who was concentrated on punishing those shrimps. For Archerko it was a blissful evening with everyone. To see everyone smiling and happy and to be away from all that fighting- it's almost like a dream. However, just as she caught a glance of Illya, someone else's smiling face appeared on her mind. She couldn't put her finger on it but something's missing.

"Archerko what's wrong?" Shirou asked the girl who was suddenly spacing out.

Archerko gasped as she found out that everyone was looking at her. "N-nothing I just had something in my mind." She replied and faked a smile. Deep inside something was bothering her.

After a heartfelt dinner and some baths. It was finally time to sleep. Usually Archerko would still be lively teasing everyone in the house but she's deep in thought. What was bothering her? While thinking a name appeared in her mind. Francoise Le Blanc. Was she the reason? Was she worried for her new friend? Archerko went to her room and got on her bed. She only wore a tank top and her panties. The weather was too hot to be in pajamas even with an AC.

"Francoise…" She said to herself while picturing the pink-haired girl in her mind. Her chain of her thoughts was interrupted with a knock on her door. "Come in." She said.

It was Shirou with a worried look on his face. "Archerko are you all right?" The boy asked. "I noticed that you were not really yourself since dinner."

Archerko blushed. To have Shirou worrying about her was rather embarrassing. "Nothing really, I just had some things in my mind."

Just as she was talking something unexpected happened. Shirou slowly got on Archerko's bed and gently held her chin before leaning in.

"H-hey what are you?" Archerko stuttered but Shirou's lips sealed hers. She could taste Shirou's flavor in her mouth. Shirou just ate her cooking but she couldn't taste shrimp, steak or any of those she cooked. The taste was rather sweet like chocolate almonds.

Shirou didn't say anything but instead he gently pushed the girl down beneath him. Archerko who was still shocked at what was happening could only go with the flow while Shirou rubbed her cheeks gently. Was this really happening? Is she really about to do it with Shirou? There were so many questions she wanted answered but there's no time for that because Shirou was slowly making way inside her tank top.

"You're beautiful Archerko." These words are like flame on butter to a girl with her crush. She melted slowly in his pace.

Archerko had her arms pinned above her while Shirou took off her tank top. It can't be? She had no bra under that. She couldn't believe that she was naked in front of Shirou like this. She would always tease Shirou with seductive looks but never this far. Whatever, she couldn't stop him now. She felt his chest touch hers before receiving his lips once more. Not long after, she found herself embracing the boy.

Archerko felt Shirou's hands wrap around her waist before she got pulled up on his lap with her legs around him. She was sitting on his lap while they gazed lovingly at each other's eyes. Once again Shirou leaned forward for a passionate kiss. Archerko closed her eyes to receive his lips once more. Just before their lips joined glimpses of two crying girls flashed before Archerko. It was a vision of Francoise and another girl with pink hair and they were both in tears.

"Please don't leave me…" the image of Francoise whispered.

"You hussy!" The other pink haired girl cried out loud.

The silhouettes of the two girls were starting to merge while they moaned in despair and anguish. Suddenly, Archerko remembered a name. The name of a person whom she promised to protect and defend. The name was Louise Valliere.

Archerko opened her eyes and pushed Shirou away. "This is wrong! Something this perfect just couldn't be…" Archerko backed away and grabbed her blanket to cover her body. Shirou who fell off the bed stood in front of her without any expression.

"So you finally noticed…" A boy's voice that was different from Shirou's called out.

After Archerko heard that voice everything around her broke like fragile glass. Shards of what seemed to be pieces of a reality flickered around her. What was happening? Archerko surveyed her surroundings. Other than the shards of memories of that day everything else was complete darkness.

"Who are you?" She asked a question directed at the voice that called out to her. She was mad. Whoever this was, played with her feelings badly.

"I am he who does not exist in this world." A silhouette of a boy appeared from the darkness. He was all black. It was almost like he was darkness himself. Only his figure can be seen but anything else was just black. "The real question here is… who… are… you?" The silhouette drew a sword that seemed to have been sheathed before.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile back in Halkigenia another girl was about to unleash a storm on a group of clueless guards and a mage. Bazette was a little happy because now she can really release all the rage she kept inside her since she was thrown into this world. She was dropped into an unknown world with nothing but a useless mobile phone, a bikini and an apron. All that annoyance will now be solved thanks to these meat puppets clad in armor.<p>

"I have nothing against you. Nor do I have a reason to beat you to a pulp. However, as an enforcer I simply cannot stand by and watch while you gang up on two girls and hurt this maid over here." She said while turning for a second to Siesta who was holding Archerko's unconscious body in her arms. The enforcer charged at the guards in full offensive stance. She had her hands closed fisted in front of her, ready to decimate her opponents.

"Don't be so reckless!" Agnes who was surprised by the rush actions of her ally cried out. However it was too late. Before she knew it Bazett had already engaged her enemies in melee range. To engage in melee two spear users and two sword users with only a pair of fists is not only insane but it is downright suicide. At least that was what the Knight Captain thought.

The spear users tried to impale the enforcer with thrusts but both of their spears were very easily out maneuvered. The woman tucked both spears under her arms and pulled them both forcefully with her hands and strong arms. The armored guards were pulled forward by Bazett's immense strength and lost grip of their lances. Their metal helmets served no protection from the jarring blows of Bazett's kicks. She gave each one of them a round house that caused vibrations to fill their helmets. Then, just before they lost consciousness, the enforcer hurled them by their hands and flung them to their comrades with swords.

Bazett anticipated how the other guards would dodge. Both of them were too slow and too burdened to fully dodge their flying comrades. They could only side step and repel them sideways. The enforcer used this window of opportunity to dash forward and lunge an attack. Their vision was blocked for a few seconds by the bodies so they had no time to react. Her first target tried to counter attack with a horizontal swing of his long sword but Bazett's advance was too quick. She was already out of his blade's range and only his arms managed to impact Bazett's right side. The enforcer's toughened body could not be moved by the guard's untrained arms. Using her knowledge of martial arts she delivered a devastating punch on the guard's abdomen. His armor broke and Bazett's fist found their way on his bare stomach. The poor man was sent flying pass his employer and crashed through one of the mansion's pillars.

The remaining guard found his opportunity to strike while Bazett was off guard from her last offensive against his partner. A vertical swing would cut the woman down to size. However, it was futile their levels are just too far apart. Bazett caught the sword between her fingers as if it had no force in it. Then with swift motion of her arms, she used an open palmed karate chop to destroy the blade of the sword. With the guard still stunned and motionless, nothing stopped the fury of punches that devastated the guard's armor and dropped him on the floor.

Now, only the Count remained. He was frightened. After that girl who managed to conjure a dazzling storm of blades, a knight appeared who managed to take his guards on single handedly then now another woman arrived who could crush his entire entourage with her bare fists.

Bazett saw the man draw his staff to summon a powerful spell. Count Mott of the Waves enchanted the water in his pond to protect his surroundings. It looked like a mini floating river that served as his barrier to repel the enforcer. Wise to these kinds of tactics Bazett charged in straight forward. She was met with harsh retaliation from the Count but she was used to mages in her own world. In fact, compared to the Count, the mages in her world are levels ahead. The count's barrier protected him from all sides except from top and bottom. Using her speed she managed to slide beneath the barrier where the Count didn't expect her to go.

"It's over, any further attempts would be pointless… let me end everything right now!" Bazett lowered her stance to deliver a devastating uppercut. From that position where she's nearly flat on the ground, her momentum would definitely crush her opponent's chin. One can almost see wind gather around her fist because of the sheer force she's placing unto it.

It was a lifesaving instinct for the count that before Bazett's fist reached his chin his consciousness collapsed. He fell unto the shoulders of the enforcer who stopped her attack as soon as she saw her opponent lose consciousness. He dragged the Count's unmoving body by his collar and threw him in front of Agnes and Siesta.

"T-that was amazing." Said Agnes who still couldn't believe what she witnessed. She knew Archerko was strong but this girl was different. The battle prowess she showed was just overwhelming.

Bazett ignored that compliment she was given just now. Instead she approached the unconscious girl inside Siesta's arms. "What's this girl's name?" She asked while she knelt to inspect Archerko's face.

"Her name is Archerko." Agnes replied wondering what it was to the woman to know Archerko's name. "Is something wrong?" She noticed the somewhat serious expression on the woman's face.

"Nothing… she just looks somewhat similar to a girl in my homeland." The enforcer replied. She remembered fighting a tanned girl who looked rather similar to the girl currently sleeping in front of her. They wielded similar powers but from her recollection that girl's name was Kuro. Is it possible that this is the same girl? Bazett checked for any servant card possibly within the girl. As the original gatherer of cards she's capable of sensing cards within anything.

To her surprise she didn't sense any servant card within Archerko. Which would mean only two things, either Archerko had her powers inertly within her as a human, or that she's a genuine epic spirit? Servants who are manifested thanks to servant cards are stripped off their mental capabilities and are unable to reason. However, this girl who these people claim as their friend does not seem to be like that.

The silence between them was broken when someone called out not far from them. "Captain Agnes!" Cried one of Agnes' knights who was acting as a scout on the Royal Carriage. Louise's party has arrived. Louise was first to step off the carriage and rushed towards the scene hurriedly.

"Archerko!" Louise spotted her familiar lying motionless inside Siesta's arms. She knelt beside her and took her in own arms away from Siesta. "What happened?" She was almost in tears when she asked this.

"Miss Archerko tried to save me from the Count… but during the battle for some reason she said she suddenly felt weak… as if all her strength left her." Siesta explained and related what she saw during Archerko's fight with the guards on the top of the mansion.

Bazett was listening intently to the conversation. She wondered how someone could just suddenly lose their energy. Unless of course, it wasn't actual energy, but prana. Her suspicion was right, that wound on the girl's shoulder was nothing more than the tip of what really happened. This girl who's called Archerko lost nearly all her mana and is in danger of dying.

The other people who rode the other carriage jumped off their ride and started charging. They were too anxious to see guards and other enemies that they failed to notice that there was no longer any battle to fight. They attacked the first unfamiliar face they saw.

"Girls! Let's show these brutes what for!" The chef ran for Bazett with the intention of hitting her with his frying pan.

Bazett did nothing except lift her hand and reach out for the chef's face. Her next move would be to grab his throat then throw him back to a nearby wall or possibly his friends behind him. Before her hand could reach the chef's neck, someone's back blocked her path, it was Captain Agnes.

"Stop! She's not an enemy." Agnes just saved the chef from utter pain. She knew firsthand what Bazett was capable of and she was not sure if that woman knew how to hold back against the mundane.

The chef and the maids stopped with a sigh of relief. They saw Siesta who was their objective in coming with Louise and the princess. They cried in joy and hugged the maid before apologizing for allowing the Count to take her. Siesta easily forgave them because essentially it was her fault for standing out.

Princess Henrietta and Kirche were the last to get off the Royal Carriage while Tabitha landed her blue dragon just beside everyone. They were concerned on what happened with the familiar who looked badly bruised inside Louise's arms. Some of them couldn't believe it. The powerful Archerko was now lying motionless as if she was horribly defeated.

"Who is this?" Henrietta noticed Bazett as she approached Louise.

"Ah princess… this is the person who rescued us. We would have been defeated if she did not singlehandedly decimated the remaining forces of the Count." Agnes vouched for the stranger that saved them. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing because the fierceness Bazett showed was similar to that of a berserker in battle.

"Oh! Thank goodness you came to my captain's aid." Henrietta gave her gratitude to the enforcer who merely nodded. "Can I reward you with anything at all?" The princess asked. She's always to be the one who couldn't let a good deed pass unrewarded.

The enforcer approached Louise who was already shedding her tears for she did not know if her familiar is safe. "If I may be allowed… I would like to stay with this girl right here for a while." She turned to the queen.

"Eh?" Kirche who always had weird things in her imagination gasped. "I knew people just wouldn't get enough of my Archerko!" She said this in a disgustingly seductive manner that made some of Agnes' knights back away from her.

"No, no… please it's nothing like that." Shockingly Bazett didn't seem affected at all for she said this with utmost calmness. "It's just that she performed similar magic from my homeland. I need to ask her something when she wakes up." She explained.

Princess Henrietta thought this to be a weak reward. "You may come with us and stay with us for as long as you like if it's only to have a talk with Louise's familiar. Other than that I hope you would accept whatever reward I can give you later in the academy."

Bazett bowed down and took the offer. She was grateful to be allowed to talk to this girl who demonstrated the powers of an epic spirit she fought before. She rode as a guest in the royal carriage on the way to the academy.

"Archerko…" Louise whispered weakly to her familiar who was sleeping on her lap. She could barely look at the bruised shoulder of the silver-haired. In some ways, she blamed herself for not being there to assist Archerko when she was fighting the guards, even though in reality she would not have made much difference.

"Don't worry… She's only asleep. I'm the one who knocked her out." Bazett who sat beside Louise felt compassion for the weeping pink-haired and comforted her in her own way.

"Eh?" Louise gasped. Could it possibly mean that this girl beside her was the person responsible for Archerko's injuries? If she was, then Louise can't possibly forgive her. "What do you mean?" She asked in an angry, threatening tone.

"Please don't take me wrong. Your friend was about to sacrifice her life in a gamble to save everyone with a trump card. I just stopped her." Bazett explained. If possible she didn't want to cause trouble within the carriage because she still needed information from Archerko.

"Will she be alright?" Louise asked while wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her blouse.

Bazett looked at the sleeping lass. Her shoulder injury will definitely heal in a short time but she lost so much mana. The bigger problem is, the phenomenon of continuous mana drain has already happened inside the girl. If she completely runs out of mana then she will inevitably die.

"The way things are? I can't be sure." She replied. She avoided telling Louise of the entire gravity of Archerko's state. She wanted to arrive in their destination before explaining everything.

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><p>Meanwhile, a girl is fighting inside a different reality. Her opponent is the shadowy figure of a boy who was completely masked in darkness. The girl was angry. She felt that the boy manipulated and played with her feelings. That day she lived with Shirou, Saber and the others was merely an illusion created by this entity in front of her.<p>

"If you think this was my doing then you're mistaken." The figure broke the silence between them while Archerko raised her hands to summon her swords.

That statement made Archerko pause for a while. Is this man saying that he's innocent for the cruel illusion that was shown to her? Is this only a trap so she could be caught off guard? If it's true then who was it?

"I'll ask you again, who are you and where is this?" She asked before summoning her Kanshou and Bakuya.

"As I said before, my name is of little relevance. Who I am does not matter. This world and the world you lived a while ago are all manifestations of your desires." The boy explained but Archerko does not fully understand what he meant.

"What are you doing here?" Archerko decided that she needed to ask a different question or this conversation would go nowhere. She needed to know the boy's intentions.

To answer that question the boy raised his sword at Archerko and said "I'm here to confirm what you are!" The boy dashed forward with his sword ready to strike at Archerko.

Archerko dashed forward as well to meet the boy on the middle. Shockwaves appeared between and around their blades as their swords clashed. The counter-counter-guardian was surprised that the boy's sword wasn't smashed into oblivion against her phantasm. This means whatever the boy was using was either also a phantasm or a magically enchanted sword.

Archerko was thrown back by the boy's force who swung his sword diagonally upwards to push Archerko away. Archerko flipped midair and threw her swords like a boomerang aimed at the boy's chest. The figure easily repelled the boomerangs without breaking a sweat. It's now apparent that this enemy is no pushover.

As Archerko landed, it was the boy's turn to attack. He was swift to reach Archerko before her feet touched the ground and before Archerko's swords could return. She was wide open. She needed to conjure swords to protect her otherwise it's over. She projected a new pair of Kanshou and Bakuya to use them as her shield. She's not completely safe from the boy's attack but at least with this she can avoid a fatal blow.

"That's not going to work." She heard the boy whisper. Shockingly her Kanshou and Bakuya were both shattered upon meeting the blade of the boy's sword. It's the complete reverse of what should happen.

The boy continued his relentless advance. His steadily increasing pace did not allow Archerko to create high level conceptual weapons. She would block his attacks with Kanshou and Bakuya every time and he would destroy them like pencil charcoal every time. This guy was much faster than her and she could not believe it. She's supposed to be an epic spirit, someone who is at the limit of humanity and yet someone here is pushing her back so easily. In simple terms, she's being manhandled.

"Are you a monster?" Archerko asked while pretending to grin to hide her discomfort with her enemy. She was breathing heavily. She summoned countless numbers of blades and flung them all at the boy.

The shadow figure sheathed his sword and did something incredible, something Archerko wouldn't have acknowledged to be true unless she saw it. The boy caught one of the phantasmal swords she was throwing and used it to block the next incoming phantasm. Then using his free left hand he grabbed one of the phantasmal axes and used that too to against the unlimited number of blades coming his way. He advanced in an accelerating pace while dual wielding every weapon he could grab on to. Little by little he moved forward to Archerko while constantly throwing worn out phantasmal weapons and replacing them with the other incoming projectiles. He was literally using Archerko's own move against her.

Knowing that it's only a matter of time before the boy reached her she started to trace a more powerful phantasm. "How about this then? First Sin of the Goddess Artemis! Buster Actaeon!" A weapon that resembled a spear with two tips appeared in the hands of Archerko. In legend, Actaeon was the man who saw Artemis bathing in Mount Cithaeron. Artemis who was enraged for being seen naked turned the man into a stag then was left to be eaten by his own dogs.

The weapon would have been a formidable tool to use against the boy. But before Archerko could fully manifest it the boy's drew his sword from his sheath and destroyed the conceptual weapon in one strike. Archerko fell on her rear in front of the boy whose sword was pointed on her throat.

"Tell me who you are…" said the boy. He moved back to allow Archerko to stand up and regain her composure.

The counter-counter-guardian leaped three meters away to gain distance against this seemingly unbeatable foe. Buster Actaeon was close to a noble phantasm in strength and yet this guy destroyed it so easily. Just what is that sword?

If that won't work then she'll have to put her bet on something entirely different… magic. Unlike Archer or Shirou, Archerko is gifted with bountiful magic circuits. Therefore she's able to cast high level magic higher than Rin. However she's not that good with it since she usually relied on her weapons when fighting. Right now, her weapons are being crushed like second hand garbage so magic is her best alternative option.

Archerko stuck out her finger in the form of a gun and shouted "Gandr!" A ray of red light erupted from her ring finger aimed at the boy's chest. This was her best hope of hurting her enemy. Until now none of her attacks were even close to moving her opponent.

Her enemy stood still and merely raised his sword to block the magic beam. Then as water to a sponge, her spell got absorbed inside the sword's blade and the blade glowed red, similar in color to Gandr. "Back at you!" The boy shouted before sending back the beam at Archerko.

Archerko gasped in surprise before she was forced to roll on her side to dodge the beam. She remembers that move. She used it before. Now she recognized the sword, that sword was the sword Louise bought for her. It had the ability to absorb any spell, no wonder all of her conjurations were not working- because projection is still a spell.

"I'm going to ask you again. Who are you?" The boy asked again with the same laid back, calm voice he had since the beginning.

Archerko closed her eyes. She remembered that feeling when she held that sword. Even in an extremely weakened condition she was able to fight with masterful skill using it. Along with it she remembered what Louise called her the first time they met."

"You're my familiar from now on." Those were Louise's exact same words. Archerko now knows the answer to the boy's question. She felt ashamed that she only found out just now. No, she felt horrible that she even forgot about it in the first place. That dream she had, her life with Shirou and the others were merely her past desires. She now had someone she needed to protect. Someone who needed her to by her side.

"I'm the counter-counter-guardian, the protector of everything, I am the fake hero of justice who couldn't save anyone, but most of all… I am…" Archerko raised her head and smiled at the boy of darkness in front of her.

"I am the proud familiar of Louise de la Valliere!" She shouted this with full spirit. A gust of wind erupted and suddenly Archerko felt a burning sensation on her left hand. It was the rune she got from the summoning. It's finally back.

The boy smiled and the darkness that covered him vanished. For the first time Archerko could see who the boy was. The boy had black hair and was about five feet and four inches tall and he was Japanese. He was wearing a blue sweater that covered his arms and also pants that covered all of his lower body. His hand too had a rune that's identical to Archerko's.

"That's right." The boy's sword too became clearer. It's a golden sword identical to Archerko's own sword. To Archerko's surprise she found that sword sheathed around her waist. "That sword has always been there waiting for you to use it."

"I'm a lousy owner I guess… let's go!" Archerko drew her sword and charged at the boy. With the power of the rune they were even in speed and strength. Every time Archerko would release a fury of slashes, the boy would dodge and then retaliate with his own fury of slashes.

"I'm sorry but I'll have to break this stalemate! Louise is waiting for me!" Archerko projected a mass projection of phantasms behind her.

"That didn't work before, what makes you think it would work now?" The boy taunted her and prepared to counter the rain of projectiles.

Archerko grinned and raised her hand to show her glowing rune. "Because now I have this!" She dashed along with all her weapons while shouting "Hyaaahhhhhh!" Now she felt that she could win this. No. She was now sure that she would win this. Because out there her clumsy master is waiting for her probably crying.

The rain of swords proved to be too hard to deal with while Archerko herself was attacking too with her rune. Using the swords as a decoy she managed to flank the boy from behind. The boy was fast and he reacted fast but with the rune, Archerko was just as fast. A deafening 'chinggg' the sound of metal colliding against metal exploded. A winner has been decided. One of the fighters had their sword knocked away while the other stood high with all glory.

"Don't you ever forget it again." Said the boy threateningly as he reached out his hand to congratulate the winner. Archerko won, with identical abilities, her power to project and trace gave her the advantage she needed. "I was once called by the name Saito Hiraga… but like I said before, I do not exist in this story. You are her most important. Protect her with your everything but most importantly cherish her."

The boy started to disappear. His body was being reduced to green sparks as if his whole being was being converted into light. Archerko felt sad to see the boy fade. He wasn't really her enemy. In fact she can't thank him enough for helping her remember what she forgot.

The whole place disappeared along with the boy. Archerko was now standing in front of the house she visited four hours ago. Archerko knew what she had to do. She non-chalantly entered the house and found there Francoise eagerly waiting for her. She approached the girl and hugged her tight.

"You're not leaving me again? Are you?" Francoise asked before hugging the taller girl back.

"I guess I just can't leave my clumsy master ever." Archerko giggled in reply.

Their eyes met and they slowly leaned closer to each other. As if to reenact the contract, their lips touched to renew their bonds. Their arms tightened around each other. Before they ended their passionate kiss, everything once again turned black.

"Archerko! Archerko!" A voice cried out for her. Who was it?

Archerko slowly opened her eyelids. She was woken by the tears that fell from a girl's eyes. In front of her was her master smiling happily because her familiar finally opened her eyes. Archerko reached out to Louise's cheeks and gently brushed a tear off her beautiful eyes and whispered "I'm back."

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><p>Stay tuned, cause the next chapter will include some juicy lemony goodness and of course your favorite dog in a full blue body tight _~<p>

R&R, keep reviewing! *coughs* and read the next chapter of course


	4. Chapter 4

Void Bladeworks

**(A Zero no Tsukaima and Fate / Stay Night crossover)**

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><p>Disclaimer: Typical usual disclaimer stuff, I don't own any of this Nor do I benefit from this and yadda yadda yadda<p>

Author Note: Thank you for the reviews! I've read all of the reviews and it really makes me easier to write this chapter, though I admit i still have my flaw as an author but seeing as this is my first piece please spare me T^T. All reviews will be read and motivates me to write this and fix my own mistake so keep em' comming!

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><p>A week passed after her incident in the mansion, Archerko's resting in the room she shared with her master Louise. Since then, Louise had taken most of her rights and she wasn't even allowed to get close to the academy gates. Not that she could anyway because ever since then she felt terribly weak. The magical prowess and physical prowess she once had seemed to be such a distant memory.<p>

"I can't seem to get them back…" She muttered to herself while she looked at her palm as she raised her hand to her eyes. Even after a week's worth of rest her mana has not replenished, not even a hundredth. She was wearing one of the casual dresses Louise bought for her. This one was a red sleeveless blouse. The front design was a complicated array of lines and curves which enclosed the kingdom's emblem. There were no buttons in front but instead had a zipper on the back. This blouse was matched with a black skirt which spanned from her hips to her thighs. Right now, the usually outgoing Archerko is just sitting on top of a windowsill with her right leg resting on it while looking at the vast grounds of the academy.

Before she could space out a knock on the door caught her attention. She didn't have to ask who it was for only a few people ever come to that room. "Welcome back Louise." She greeted her master as she opened the door. To her surprise her master was accompanied by three people namely- Bazett, Tabitha and Kirche. The three mages were wearing their school uniform while Bazett was wearing a leather vest, a pair of black pants and some leather gloves.

"Ugh… call me master…" Louise sighed. Even now she still dreams of the day Archerko would not forget to call her with that honor.

"Darling you look well now!" Kirche cheered and helped herself inside the room. Not surprisingly her next move was to cling on the familiar like metal shavings to a magnet.

Archerko tried to shrug her off but even just that tired her in her weakened condition. "Yeah, it's thanks to you guys that we were saved." The guardian flashed a thankful smile at her saviors while trying to hide her weariness.

"Archerko, the three of us have to go overnight for a field exam." Louise informed her familiar who looked at her curiously. "You just recovered from that so I will not allow you to come with me. Bazett here will look after you while I'm gone." She explained.

"Eh?" Archerko gasped and turned to Bazett who waved at her with a small smile. "I'm not a kid I can handle myself alone. Besides I'm already fit enough to come with you!" Archerko protested. She knew fully well what it meant to be with the enforcer.

Louise waved her head and said "no!" The pink-haired raised her finger at Archerko with a serious face. "I don't know how good you are or how strong you are, but I will not have you get into trouble in your condition! You will stay here with Ms. Bazett and that's final!" Louise said this with a stern voice.

"Please don't worry about her. As a warrior I do all my tasks efficiently. The only way she can leave here is through my fists!" Bazett clenched her throbbing fists before making cracking sounds with them.

Archerko sighed while looking at Bazett's pulsating fists. In her condition she'd be in trouble fighting against one of those guards she fought in the mansion, fighting against Bazett would be suicidal. She rebelliously sat down on the bed while waving goodbye to Louise and her friends.

"Goodbye darling! Don't worry we'll see you soon!" Kirche waved goodbye as well and even blew a kiss. Archerko dodged this imaginary kiss in disgust. A few seconds later only Bazett and Archerko was left in the room.

"Tell me again why you're here?" Archerko decided to be the first to make conversation.

Bazett turned to Archerko and said "I'm being paid to take care of you." She was very frank and sounded cold.

Archerko quirked an eyebrow for the enforcer just misunderstood her question. "No, I meant why you are in this world?" Archerko asked and crossed her arms.

"Long story," Bazett replied.

"We are stuck here for the whole afternoon…" Archerko reasoned. She rather had Bazett to chat with rather than stare at each other the whole day in a game of 'who blinks first'.

Bazett leaned on the wall next to the door. She was finally willing to explain. "I had a mission tasked to me by Zelrecht. Unfortunately some elements in the mission were given to me vaguely. As a result I was thrown to this world with no way to go back."

"Zelrecht?" Archerko felt confused. She knew the Wizard Marshall and if it's about him then it's something Kaleidoscope related. She could already imagine how the poor enforcer got flung into this world randomly.

"Excuse me for a moment." Bazett apologized in advance for what she was about to do. She approached the girl then held her gently by the chin. "Hmm…"

"W-what is it?" Archerko felt awkward that the enforcer was leaning so close to her face while holding her chin. The enforcer's eyes were focused on her face for a moment.

"Can you stand up and turn around for me?" Bazett requested after releasing Archerko's chin then moved back.

"Eh? Is this one of the magus enforcers' fetishes?" Archerko protested. She doesn't like it when other people made her do strange things with vague or no reasons.

To her dismay Bazett's face had no hint of any reaction. It was as if the enforcer did not hear what she just said. Instead, a face that says 'turn around now' pierced her. Archerko hesitantly obeyed and stood up before she graciously turned around slowly.

"Hmm…" Once again Bazett observed Archerko, this time from a far. Then, she approached the girl and did the unexpected- she reached out and grabbed the counter-counter-guardian's breasts.

"W-wha!" Archerko gasped as Bazett's hands felt her breasts from the surface of her blouse. She tried to shrug Bazett's hands off in protest but the enforcer strengthened her grip and began squeezing on them. The weakened heroic spirit could only muffle her moans and cries as the enforcer continued to knead and grope her chest.

"They're real?" Bazette said while she continued to knead the other's chest.

After hearing this, Archerko gathered all her strength to kick the enforcer away. She was successful in pushing Bazett back without hurting her. "Do they look fake to you?" Archerko cried because she felt insulted by that careless comment.

"No, forgive me," Bazett who usually retaliated after being was surprisingly docile. "It's just that I know someone like you from my world. Unlike you she's tanned and had a flat chest." A girl in crimson clothes flashed in Bazett's memories. "I remember her friends called her Kuro…"

"Someone like me but tanned and flat chested?" Archerko tilted her head at Bazett after slumping down on the cozy bed. What Bazett said just now triggered her curiosity. "_If she's telling the truth then this Bazett is not the Bazett from my world but from an entirely different world._" She thought to herself. "Enforcer-san… there are many lookalikes in the universe so it's very possible to find someone who looks like a doppelganger of someone you know."

Bazett slowly approached Archerko and sat beside her. "I believe that but I saw you do something only that girl was supposed to be able to do. You traced a conceptual weapon." She imagined the Kanshou and Bakuya that girl named Kuro loved tracing. Other than that she also remembered hrunting and the caladbolg. The weapon she saw Archerko tried to trace were none of the three but might as well be for it was also a phantasm, the Caliburn.

"This is only my theory but maybe that was me but not me." Archerko replied while she sat back up. "If this dimension exists then what's stopping for other dimensions to exist as well? Dimensions where we exist as well but as different people."

"I came to that conclusion as well." Bazett agreed with Archerko's theory and could think of no better explanation. "By the way, up to when are you going to try to hide it?" Bazett asked. She looked at Archerko with a serious face and a piercing look.

Archerko merely blinked and said "hide what?" The enforcer's question confused her.

"I'm not sure if you notice this yourself but you're running out of mana." Bazett replied.

Archerko was surprised that Bazett knew about her condition. She made sure to act like she was slowly recovering but still the enforcer managed to see through her. "_This woman…_" She groaned to herself a little disappointed that Bazett figured out.

"I asked the maids before about you, when you were unconscious. They said that you claimed to be a counter-counter-guardian." The short-pink-haired explained.

Archerko's bit her lips disappointed with herself. It was a big mistake to tell those maids that piece of information. Then again, she didn't expect someone from a similar world to hers would appear in this world. "Yes… I was a counter-counter-guardian."

"Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you also a heroic spirit?" Bazett asked. The two of them were now looking at each other's eyes. Both struggled not to blink as the enforcer interrogated the familiar.

"If you mean that I joined the grail wars before, then yes I am." Archerko found no reason to hide it. Indeed she was summoned before to be the servant of a certain Rin Tohsaka.

"As a servant you previously got your supply of mana from your master. Then as a guardian you probably got sustenance from your world itself. However, right now both are unavailable for you, am I correct?" Bazett continued.

Archerko averted her eyes. She couldn't show Bazett her eyes which carried sadness and despair in them. "That's right…" She surrendered. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a magus knows this much." She imagined that people from the church and from the magus association from any world similar to hers would be knowledgeable about her kind.

"Normally, mages and others similar are able to regenerate mana by themselves. Slowly with rest we rejuvenate the mana we use in battle." Bazett raised her fist and showed Archerko a rune encrypted on her glove. This rune was placed there by her. She's a mage who specialized in rune crafting. These are runes that enable her to fight epic spirits and other beings.

"In my case… since I've become a heroic spirit my body depended too much externally for mana regeneration. Then as a guardian I've counted on the world to supply me mana. Now that both are gone, it seems that my own ability to rejuvenate has declined to this pathetic state." Archerko had a pitiful look on her face while she looked at her own hand with disgust.

Bazett looked at the familiar and paused for a moment. "What's your plan?" She wondered.

Archerko lazily threw herself on the bed as a reply. "Rest until it's back!" She closed her eyes with a smile on her face and playfully made snow angels on the bed's sheet.

"You've been doing that for a week but you haven't gained any." Bazett quickly criticized the familiar's decision. "There's a faster way you know."

"Hmm?" Archerko opened one eye, interested in what Bazett had to say.

Bazett walked up to Archerko and leaned forward to whisper to her ear. "All you have to do is…" She started muttering something softly in the girl's ear.

Archerko listened intently to Bazett. But, as the enforcer continued on, her face flustered bright pink. "T-that's impossible you idiot!" Archerko pushed Bazett's face away with both her hands.

Bazett stood off the bed after being pushed away. "That method has been tried and proven." She said with an 'I'm totally sure' face. She clenched her fist in front of her to show her determination.

"It doesn't matter! That method will just not do!" Archerko picked up a pillow and flung it at Bazett with her face still as pink as a peach.

Bazett dodged the pillow which hit the door causing a soft thud. "I don't understand… you just go and ask Louise to…"

"Shut up!" The familiar's hand found itself holding another pillow and threw it straight at Bazett's face. She was determined to kill that idea suggested by the enforcer.

Bazett repelled the pillow easily with one hand and brushed it aside. "You don't like Louise enough to do it with her?" Bazett asked such a sensitive question with a straight face.

"I-it's not that I…" Archerko stuttered as she moved back from the advancing Bazett. She looked like a little mouse trapped in a corner while a rattle snake slowly crept towards her.

"Ah, I get it! It's because you don't think she's experienced enough to supply you mana. In that case, I'll have to be the next candidate." At that statement Bazett started to hurriedly unbutton her blouse while sporting a straight emotionless face.

"No!" Archerko closed her eyes while trying to reach for another pillow to throw at the enforcer. She got hold of a small hotdog pillow and decided to use it to clobber Bazett who started getting on the bed.

Bazett blocked the pillow and restrained the familiar by the wrists and pinned her arms on the bed over her head. "If it is qualifications you need I'll have you know that I am a very skilled mage. I'm sure I will be sufficient to…"

"It's not about qualifications you idiot!" Archerko protested and started brashly moving about to shake Bazett off her. For some reason she could also remember that dream with Shirou which made it more embarrassing for her.

Bazett tightened her grip on the familiar's wrists more and got on top of her. She was kneeling just above the familiar's hips that were between the enforcer's legs. "Are you questioning my skills in bed then? I have to admit that this will be my first time but I've played some eroges in my free time back then so…"

"Shut up! Don't just decide to talk about embarrassing things all of a sudden!" Archerko cried out. All she could do is to try and turn her hips in hopes to move the enforcer. However, Bazett proved to be too strong and too heavy for her in her condition.

"As an enforcer, I do not acknowledge such emotion. This is merely a process to help you recover mana. I see no reason to feel embarrassed about it." The enforcer used her free hand to unzip the zipper on Archerko's back. But before she could completely strip Archerko of her blouse the door creaked open.

"Umm… Excuse me…" Siesta opened the door with a tray filled with Archerko's dinner on it. Siesta paused and stared at the two for a moment. Bazett was leaning forward so much to reach Archerko's backside zipper that she looked like she was about to suck on the nape of the familiar's neck.

"Siesta!" Archerko quickly used that distraction to slither away from Bazett and got off the bed. Bazett who was caught off guard failed to catch her because of the distraction. "Siesta you came to save me! Siesta I was so scared!" She hid behind the maid who was still speechless about what she just witnessed.

"Now, now please don't mind me. I'll clean the room afterwards when you're done." Siesta hurriedly placed the tray on a nearby desk and hurried away leaving Archerko alone with Bazett once again.

Just as the door closed Archerko felt her wrist grabbed by Bazett once again. She gasped in surprise as she got pulled and pushed back down on the bed. "Uwah!" She cried.

"If you're really that determined to not do it with me then I won't force it." Bazett sat up and moved to the side of the bed. Archerko felt relieved that Bazett backed off. For a second there she thought she would be raped by a girl.

"Please stop deciding things on your own!" Archerko requested while she tried to calm down. She was still breathing faster than normal.

"I warn you though, if you will not tell Louise and if your condition gets worse, I will push with it whether you like it or not." Bazett warned. She had a threatening tone that sent shivers down Archerko's spine. "I am paid to be your bodyguard and I will fail that duty if you die because of spontaneous mana drain."

"I'm not sure if that is still a part of your…"

"Non-sense! In a protection mission, every aspect that may harm my client is my job!" Bazett cut Archerko before she could finish her comment.

Archerko couldn't believe it. This Bazett is ten times more aggressive than the Bazett in her world. This Bazett could only settle things forcefully. Most of the time she settled things with her fists so Archerko was thankful that the enforcer didn't just knock her out and did it. If that happened she wasn't sure if she could live with the shame that comes with it.

"Still you don't just go raping people for that reason." Archerko had her palm on her forehead. She had a headache and she didn't know if it was the mana loss or if it was Bazett causing it.

"That aside what's the difference between being a familiar and a grail servant?" Bazett asked. "I've seen other familiars in the school grounds and none of them were human. Are you the only human familiar?"

Archerko scratched her cheek "I'm not sure. But in this academy I too have yet to see a human familiar other than myself." She recalled that the other familiars were chimeras, magical animals or dragons.

"I'm curious if I can summon a familiar for myself." The enforcer wondered.

Archerko looked at the woman curiously. "I thought The Retaliator does things on her own? Why do you suddenly feel the need for a familiar's companionship?" She smirked.

Bazett looked back at Archerko and said "I heard that in this world, familiars are also factors of that determine someone's status." Bazett had done her research. While Archerko was asleep for almost a week the enforcer had been asking around about this world's type of magic and history.

"I never thought you were someone who cared about status." Archerko replied. The Bazett in her world could care less about having authority or not. Bazett in her world lived in Shirou's house for some time before she went back to the magus association for some debriefing. Archerko recalled that her Bazett was set to come home after a month. But that didn't matter now for she herself wouldn't be going home for probably a long time.

"It's as you said. I am a warrior and I don't care much for status. However I still have hopes of returning to my world and I'll need all the influence I need for information." Bazett explained her reasons.

"You were sent here with the Kaleidoscope so I assume it's possible to go back with the same magic." Archerko pointed out. "Did you use any item to trigger that magic?"

Bazett remembered the gem that contained the Kaleidoscope. "It was a jewel that stored the miracle inside it. However it broke into pieces the moment I touched it and that triggered the miracle."

Archerko recalled Rin's lessons. Rin once said that jewels are capable of holding powerful magic inside them. You just need the spell and the mana which is stored in the form of blood. "If there are some shards left maybe you can study on them."

Bazett waved her head to disagree. "The Wizard Marshall was very careful with his failsafe. The shards broke into miniscule pieces to the point that you won't even be able to see dust."

"That old man…" Archerko sighed while she remembered the Zelrecht in her world. "About the matter of familiar summoning, you should ask the professor they called Colbert about it. I am sure he can help you."

"Thanks." Bazett smiled and made a note for herself to see that person who Archerko mentioned. "I'll go look for him when I have the time."

"You have time now." Archerko immediately replied.

"Nice try girl but I'm staying here." Bazett locked the door and stood in front of it. She grinned at Archerko who sighed in disappointment after hearing that. It seemed that the familiar was looking for her chance to rid of the enforcer who was guarding her jail-guard.

"_This girl is really narrow-minded when it comes to her mission_." Archerko said after a sigh. "By the way I'm just wondering, why were you in a bikini?" The familiar found something rather peculiar with Bazett's story.

"I was at the beach selling ice pops." The enforcer explained. For a flicker of a moment Archerko thought the enforcer blushed a bit but Bazett's cold poker face was quick to come back.

"Can I ask why?" Archerko continued to ask.

Before Bazett answered, her face showed regret and disappointment. "I overdid it in a mission it seems." She recalled how she reduced Luvia's mansion to rubble in search for the servant cards.

Archerko looked at Bazett from the side of her eyes awkwardly. She knew it would be because of something like that. Someone as straightforward and single-minded as Bazett would be prone to that problem, especially in battle. "I'm bored!" Archerko groaned before stubbornly flailing her arms at the enforcer. "Let's go somewhere!" She demanded.

"Not in your condition." Bazett coldly declined.

"But you said you're supposed to guard me from all aspects. Now guard me from boredom!" Archerko continued and exploited that loophole. She listened to herself and found out that she's beginning to sound like Illya the snow fairy when she wants something badly from Shirou.

Bazett who always took her job seriously couldn't back out or get away from that loophole. "Fine, but outside school grounds is prohibited. Are we clear on that?" Bazett could not help but compromise and set a condition.

Archerko nodded excitedly. She was eager to leave this boring room where she had slept for almost a week. "I just want to look around for awhile." She said while she accepted the condition.

"We'll go after you finish your dinner." Bazett urged Archerko to finish her meal. That at least would give the weakened epic spirit the energy to go out.

"It's a deal then." The familiar happily sat up then started eating in front of the desk where Siesta left the tray with the meal. "Want some?" Archerko turned to Bazett while holding bread.

The enforcer smiled gently before taking the girl's offer. She sat beside the girl and accepted the bread Archerko reached out. "This isn't bad. I see that saving that maid's life wasn't just a waste of time."

"Do you always have to have a reason to save someone?" Archerko looked at Bazett awkwardly while they shared the meal. She never needed a reason to save anybody and Siesta's cooking was never a reason why Archerko risked her life to save that maid. If she wanted good food, she could cook it herself.

"No, but a good bonus is always a good motivation." Bazett replied. She looked at Archerko with one eye closed that she looked like she was playfully winking at her. Then again, Bazett was never willful to be humorous so maybe not.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Louise, Tabitha and Kirche were on the way to the meeting point their class agreed on. It wasn't too far from the academy, but to get to it they would have to bushwhack through a forest. Of the three the pink haired mage was the most anxious and nervous. The forest always looked safer in daylight. At night, even with knowledge of the entire place, the whole forest just looked sinister and intimidating.<p>

"Why do we have to come here at night?" Louise groaned to herself while trying her best to remain composed. She wanted to avoid looking terrified in front of the other two mages walking beside her at all cost.

Kirche who noticed the slight hesitation in Louise's tone walked closer beside the mage. "Oh what's this? Don't tell me our little zero is scared?" She teased the shorter girl while sheepishly looking at her face waiting for a cute reaction from her lesser peer.

"I-Idiot it's not like that at all!" Just like that, Louise's fear was replaced by embarrassment as her face quickly turned from pale to light pink. "I-It's just that my familiar might be in a…"

"Oh? Is this Louise saying that she can't stand being away from her beloved Archerko?" Kirche twisted Louise's words as weapons to tease her more. She enjoyed looking at how Louise always loses her cool when it came.

"That's not it!" Louise stubbornly denied while flailing her arms over her head at Kirche. "I'm telling you that you're misunderstanding this!" Louise protested.

"Hum…" The argument between Louise and Kirche were quickly halted by Tabitha who paused to look at a corner behind the academy's walls.

Louise was curious as to what caught Tabitha's intention. Tabitha may be very observant but she's also very snobbish. If something is enough to make her head turn then it must be something very peculiar. Louise noticed a black hooded figure creeping in a corner. None of the figure's flesh could be seen as it was completely covered in black cloak. "Who is?"

Before Louise could talk, Tabitha pulled her and Kirche behind a crate where they watched the suspicious person's movements. The cloaked person was just standing there as if he was waiting for someone. Truthfully enough, not too long later another cloaked person appeared. The new comer looked like he came from outside the academy. They saw the man receive a letter and some documents from the visitor.

"I can't see very well!" Kirche had to kneel down while watching from behind the two tried to squeeze in between the two other mages.

"Humph?" The cloaked figure gasped. Unfortunately for the three friends Kirche's voice was loud enough to startle him.

Louise grumpily looked at Kirche and said, "you idiot!" She was more frustrated than scared that they were exposed.

"Sorry my bad," Kirche used her 'innocent' smile to ask for pardon. Dumb, perverted men usually fall for it but it usually just irritates other people, especially her friends.

Louise directed her attention to the suspicious person. They needed to take action. Will they face him or run away? She tried to carefully observe the face inside the hood at least to know what they're up against.

"Yellow, brown eyes?" Louise could not see the facial structure of the person. However she noticed the seemingly golden glow illuminated by his eyes.

Just as Louise noticed his eye color. The person made a clicking sound with his tongue as if he was disappointed at something. The three of them witnessed the guy take out his wand and take a stance. It was not until a second later that it he made his hostility become apparent.

On the man's command three blocks of concrete broke away from the wall behind him. The three blocks were all a quarter of a meter thick and half a meter in height. The wall where the blocks used to be a part of began to tremble. Having lost parts of its foundation the wall of a storehouse crumbled causing the structure to topple. The debris of the fallen storehouse blocked the path of the students preventing them from going back.

"Cut the enemy's escape route huh?" Kirche groaned. She noticed that the guy was serious about taking them on. Despite that, she still had a faint smile on her lips.

Tabitha who usually had a blank expression carried a frown on her face. As a dragon knight she had superior experience compared to the other two mages and she knew sparks are about to fly. It's only a matter of time before they will be force to exchange spells.

The three blocks were sent flying to their direction. This signaled the beginning of the fight. Tabitha was quickest to act and created a meter thick ice-wall. The compact blocks of concrete managed to penetrate the ice-wall but the impact decreased its power and safely landed a few meters away in front of the three mages.

"Suddenly picking a fight like this? Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?" It was Kirche's turn to contribute. As a triangle class fire mage it was easy for Kirche to fire off five consecutive fireballs at her enemy. The mage cloaked in black flicked his wrist. The ground in front of him cracked and from it a small pillar of earth was raised as a shield. The fireballs were quickly extinguished as they impacted the wall.

"That ability. He's easily a triangle class earth mage, I'm not sure maybe even a square class." Louise was astounded at how their enemy controlled the earth element to attack and defend. Only the professors in their class could do something similar for she knew no earth mage student on par with him.

"I'm a triangle class myself, I won't lose so easily!" By twirling her wand and with a flick of her wrist, Kirche conjured a small twister of flame to engulf the opposition. As amazing as it is, it did not have enough fire power to corrode or destroy the prism barrier of earth the black mage made.

With his command, he crumbled the barrier he created and from its debris he formed stalagmites. There were at least a dozen stalagmites he controlled each about a meter and a half long and each had lethal sharp ends.

Kirche gasped and stepped back to defend from this incoming attack. "My flames can't block that." She groaned while she helplessly looked at the pointed pillars the enemy was about to throw at them.

Without remorse the black mage hurled the stalagmites at the mage students. He spread them out wide to increase his chances of hitting them.

Tabitha stepped forward to face that attack. An ice-wall this time would be insufficient for those stalagmites would easily penetrate through a meter thick wall of ice. She needed something more drastic. With a wave of her staff a vortex of wind started to manifest between her and the stalagmites. She decided that if she couldn't block or avoid them then the next best thing was to try to redirect them.

The small tornado Tabitha created managed to repel the stalagmites. The pointed rocks were hurled all over the place destroying properties they land on.

"The academy!" Louise cried out as she noticed the damage they were dealing on school property. Roofs punctured by the lethal rocks were destroyed and some walls were brought down. They would be lucky if they only get a month's suspension for this.

"Let's take this outside!" Kirche suggested. The trio sprinted away for the main-entrance. "We can fight him in the forest where there are less cement and concrete for him to use.

Without a word, Louise and Tabitha agreed with the plan. It's going to benefit them to fight him in a place where the only earth he could use is soft and lush soil. "Is he still following us?" Louise looked back to check and found no one there. "He's not there!"

"What?" Kirche gasped and looked to find that her plan wasn't going as planned.

"Above us," Tabitha softly said almost in a whisper before urging her classmates to dodge. Apparently the enemy went to the roofs to chase them while spamming a barrage of compact concrete. The balls of cement were so compact that they had the mass of boulders even though they were only ten centimeters in diameter.

It was hard but the three managed to avoid getting hit. Everything the spheres hit was crushed into dust and debris. Pillars crumbled and some walls were destroyed. A total of five structures were brutally demolished before they reached the academy's exit. Weirdly enough, no staff or student was disturbed probably because they were all either asleep or working further inside the academy.

Louise and the other two mages continued to run until they reached a small forest clearing where it was most comfortable to face their opponent. Here there were no heavy structures that their enemy could use as a source of material for her earth based attacks. Also, there were not many trees so the three could fight near each other.

As they reached the center of the clearing they turned around to face the black mage. As there were no more platforms to stand on, the mage was forced to jump down to the three's level. Louise gazed at the dark hood to check for the brown eyes she thought she saw. Unfortunately their attacker did not give her that luxury.

The black mage raised his wand and sharply pointed at the three like he intended to stab their hearts with his wooden stick. The ground beneath them trembled as if a magnitude five earthquake just hit the land. Cracks appeared beneath their feet and it felt like the ground beneath them would give way. The students fell on their knees and hands as they felt the earth beneath them rise. Like what he did to shield himself from Tabitha's and Kirche's attacks he raised a layer of earth and changed the terrain. This time he created a platform fifteen feet high to trap the three on top.

"He can even do this? Is he really just a triangle class mage!" Kirche was beginning to doubt their initial assessment of their enemy.

"Yes…" Tabitha agreed without a sign of hesitation in her voice. This is the most talkative Tabitha has ever been since she entered the academy. "He's merely controlling the earth without any other applications." The blue haired mage waved her staff and summoned her famous blue dragon.

The black mage noticed the hovering drake above them. It was obvious that they were planning to escape his trap using the dragon. With an angry grunt he waved his wand in a slashing motion. The pillar started to erode and almost immediately turned into a pile of rocks and chunks of soil.

Before the pillar completely crumbled Tabitha managed to take Louise on the back of her dragon with her while Kirche had too jumped and hold unto the dragon's feet. Tabitha looked at her enemy with a sharp gaze while she commanded her dragon to safely let Kirche land on stable ground. With Louise riding along behind her, she decided to fight the black mage from above. This way earth attacks would be less effective if not completely useless.

Adamant to win the battle, the black mage waved his hand and flung earthen stalagmites he molded from the moist soil. He hoped to knock them off the dragon using dozens of projectiles. However this was useless for the blue dragon was simply too agile.

The blue haired mage gently waved her staff to cast her own spell. The moist soil beneath the cloaked mage's feet started to bubble as a puddle of water appeared from beneath. Before the earthen mage could react, bubbles the size of bowling balls floated from the puddle that engulfed his feet. The bubbles floated in front of his face and around his body. He stared at them with a confused look wondering what was to happen next.

With a flick of Tabitha's finger the bubbles exploded with such force that bruises appeared on the black mage's body.

POP, POP, POP.

For each bubble popped, the black mage received bone breaking blows comparable to that of a sledge hammer. The forces applied from the bursts were so strong that his feet which were stuck in the muddy puddle Tabitha created were freed by the impact. He flew back three meters away from where he stood and landed on his back still conscious.

"Wow." Louise was amazed at her classmate's handy-work. "No wonder you're a dragon knight." She always knew that Tabitha was an amazing mage but she never saw her fight like this before.

"Great work Tabitha! Now let's unmask this fool." Kirche who was already on the ground happily pranced her way to the fallen enemy.

"No!" Tabitha shouted while raising her hand to gesture for Kirche to stop.

Once again, the earth trembled, this time from beneath the enemy's fallen body. A fifteen feet golem rose from beneath and carried the bruised black mage on its right shoulder. The black mage sat up while holding on his battered joints. The golem whipped its hands to repel his enemies. Unfortunately for the three, Kirche was too near the golem and got hit square on the face and stomach by the back of golem's fist. She flew several meters back and crashed against a tree then lost consciousness.

"Kirche!" Louise shouted after she saw her friend get hit by the two meters thick boulder the golem had for a hand. She could imagine the kind of damage that was inflicted unto the tanned mage: broken ribs, broken spine and hopefully a disarranged face.

The golem pulled itself from the ground and revealed a pair of giant feet. It started to walk towards the fallen student to deliver the fatal blow. It could crush her with an over hand strike, grab her with its hands and squeeze the life out of her, step on her to reveal her innards or simply flick her head off with its massive fingers. Whatever it planned to do the tanned mage isn't escaping this one alone.

To save her friend, Tabitha tried getting the black mage's attention by bombarding it with a barrage of icicle shards. However, the golem's massive body proved to be too hard for ice to puncture. The mage himself used his magic to control a part of the golem's body to act as his shield. The only way she could be able to inflict enough damage to affect the golem is to fly nearer and cast her spells from there. The dragon knight flew nearer the golem while preparing her curse. Using wind magic and water magic she planned on creating a giant lance of ice that should use to pierce through the golem's tough defenses. The lance should be sharp yet the ice should be compact enough to withstand the impact. Doing these required Tabitha a lot of concentration. Unfortunately this was something she wasn't allowed to have for a gigantic punch missed them only by a few inches. The punch was so strong that it caused a small vortex enough to knock the dragon off balance and off the sky.

Tabitha and Louise fell off the dragon as it hovered dangerously close to the ground. Thankfully the dragon managed to minimize the damage on itself while the two mages only suffered a couple of bruises from rolling on the harsh forest grounds. They lost their aerial advantage and now they had to face a monster golem without Kirche- not that it would have made a difference. Tabitha too was running on her reserves, that fall caused her much of her energy. Louise who has yet to cast a successful spell was already out of the equation.

The black mage opened his hand facing the unconscious Kirche as if commanding the golem to charge in and crush the woman. The golem too raised its hand as if it was imitating its creator and reached for the unconscious mage. Tabitha who would not allow her friend to be captured and killed ran in front of Kirche to act as her shield. She conjured a couple of ice spells to act as a wall against the golem but they did not even slow down then gaping hand. Tabitha herself was caught inside the merciless fist of the giant golem instead of Kirche.

"Tabitha!" Louise screamed in terror as she looked at her friend have her life slowly squeezed from her. Tabitha was no longer in a position to protect herself. She lost grip of her staff which fell on the ground and her arms and hands were now completely trapped inside the golem's fist. The pain on her face was unmistakable as the black mage enjoyed commanding the golem to finish her off.

At this point Louise was cursing her own helplessness. There was no point in the fight where she was useful. Only Kirche and Tabitha stood against the hooded mage. If she wasn't there, then maybe Kirche would've rode on the dragon with Tabitha an ensured their win. "What do I do?" She asked to herself while tears began to form in her eyes. She wanted to scream a name inside her mind. The name 'Archerko' kept ringing in her ears and imagination.

"I- I have to do something…" She pushed herself to grab her wand from her pocket. She did not know what spell to cast but at that point she could only rely on herself. Archerko wasn't there and her two friends were in trouble. If she didn't act now, they were sure to die against this enemy. "Let- let go of Tabitha you monster!" Without muttering a spell she mindlessly casted at the golem.

Energy which manifested itself in the form of intense white light appeared from the tip of her wand. The light pierced through the golem's arm like a needle through paper and the part where the golem's arm was hit was completely destroyed. The impact caused the golem to fall off balance while Louise ran to the side of her friend Tabitha who fell a short height from the golem's grasps.

"Tabitha, Tabitha!" She called out to the blue haired mage while she knelt beside her. Thankfully the mage was still breathing and was only unconscious. Louise felt relieved that the dragon knight was alive. She tried to shake her friend back to consciousness but Tabitha was completely out-cold.

The golem lost its left leg after crashing on the ground. But that did not stop its controller from ordering it to stand back up and balance itself on its remaining leg. Its right arm was claimed by Louise's spell so it only had its left hand to reach for its targets. Before hopping a step closer to the mages the burden on its right leg took its toll and the golem collapsed on its knees and started tipping.

"E-eh?" The short moment of relief that Louise felt quickly vanished after realizing that they were at the very tip of the golem's crashing range. She wanted to carry both Tabitha and Kirche away but she herself couldn't move her numb legs. She was not injured but she felt like the nerves in her legs lost their life. She simply could not move.

As the golem's shadow covered her and her friends, Louise started to see flickers of her past. Sweet moments of her childhood appeared in her mind like a film in the earliest cinemas. She remembered how she enjoyed playing with her big sister Cattleya. She remembered the embarrassment she had to endure every time Eleanor would scold her. She remembered her mother who wielded her family's most powerful spell that brought their name on a throne in the field of magic. It is said that before someone dies, the final thing she remembers is the face of her most important loved ones.

"Why do I see her right now?" She thought to herself as images of Archerko went through her head. Archerko looked like she was pouting in her imagination. "Why are you frowning? Are you mad because you're grounded?" Louise asked the frowning familiar in front of her. The stubbornly puffed up her cheeks while staring rebelliously at Louise. The silhouette of the silver-haired guardian reached for her hand which tightly grasped her wand then gently raised it. "W-what are you?" Louise was puzzled to what her familiar was doing but before she could ask the girl vanished and the mage was brought back to reality.

Louise found her right hand tightly gripping her wand which was raised in front of her pointed at the golem plummeting towards her. Was the Archerko in her imagination telling her to cast a spell? "Like hell I will die here! Hyahh!" The pink-haired mage uttered the first spell that came into her mind. It didn't really matter what it was- because whatever spell she casts turns into a catastrophic energy blast.

Once again shimmering light manifested from the tip of her wand. This time the light shone to be pinkish in color and more radiant. The ray of light obliterated a part of the golem and broke it into smaller chunks of rocks. Thankfully Louise, Tabitha and the other was unharmed.

The black-earth-mage who rode the golem used some of the golem's intact body parts as foot stools to jump safely down unto the ground. A part of his hood was ripped which exposed the green color of his hair. "Tch!" The mage groaned in displeasure. He too had no longer enough energy to continue the fight. It did not help that the ruckus they made had alerted some of the academy guards and some high ranking professors were most possibly on their way as well. "He did not take the time to look at the mage that defeated his golem before dashing away inside the Academy.

"Wait you!" Louise stretched out her hand in gesture to catch the earth-mage. Before she could take a step forward she felt her legs weaken then dropped on her knees. "D-darn it!" She cursed as she realized that she too had no more energy to take the fight. That spell she used to destroy the golem left her exhausted and if it wasn't for the burst of adrenalin she would've fainted by now.

"Hey! What are you students doing there?" A stern voice of an old man from a far signaled their salvation. The old man was holding a lantern as he rushed towards the three mages. His eyes were wide open in shock to see the forest clearing brutally disfigured into jagged crevices.

Louise's face covered in smile when she saw the man. "Please take my friends they're injured!" She pleaded. Compared to her, her friends took damaging blows. She was extremely worried about Tabitha who almost had her bones crushed inside the golem's death grip.

"My gosh! What happened here?" The man was almost breathless as he stopped to check the two unconscious girls. He took the blue haired mage and carried her in his arms.

It didn't take long before guards and professors flocked the scene. There were no students for most students have already taken to bed. The only students that would have been awake that time were those in the class of Professor Colbert but they're located farther. One of the guards carried Kirche on his back and went with the old man to take the girls to the infirmary.

"How about you young miss? Are you injured too?" One of the professors asked Louise who only had minor bruises.

"I- I'm fine." Louise waved her head in reply. She was more worried for her friends than herself, and she has a good reason to be. She looked at her wand and tried to think about what she just did back then. She muttered an offensive fire spell but what came out was an explosion of energy that was different in magnitude. She had lots of questions inside her head right now. What was it exactly that she did? Who was that person in the black robe? What did that guy want? Will they face him again seeing that he ran inside the academy? She didn't have an answer to any of these questions but they will have to wait 'til later. A teacher helped her walk back to her dorm where she can rest for the night.

* * *

><p>A few minutes ago not so far from the dorm<p>

"Are you sure you are alright here? Outside?" A cold voice asked. It was the ill-tempered enforcer who's currently hired to be Archerko's priso- err… body guard.

Archerko frowned and said, "I am mana-drained not sick." She disliked being treated like she had a terminal illness where the only place she could go was a hospital or her own room.

"You shouldn't take your situation lightly…" Bazett said with a downhearted tone. Right now they're walking together in the academy campus surrounded with marble walls and pillars. Unlike in the day, the place was solemn and everything felt more epic.

"I know, I know already!" Archerko stubbornly retorted. "Geez you're almost like Shirou!"

"Who is this… Shirou?" Bazett asked with a curious look on Archerko.

"Eh?" Archerko gasped in surprise. "You don't know Shirou in your world?" She returned the question. In her world, Bazett and Shirou were very close and almost intimate. She could not imagine a Bazett that did not know of Shirou.

"Well obviously… that's why I asked." Bazett replied in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

"Hmm… well I guess you can say… that's he's somewhat at one point your lover…" Archerko replied with her hand near forehead.

"… ah… I see…" Time seemed to pause at this moment. "What?" Bazett screamed at the familiar, this is a very rare occasion. For once in years Bazett lost her composure while she interrogated Archerko for answers.

"Hey- hey what's with you?" Archerko stepped back while Bazett leaned near her face with twitching eyebrows. "That isn't very… Bazett-like of you." The silver-haired beauty failed to find the right words to give Bazett.

"I swore to myself to be married with my profession. Whoever it was that caught my heart in your world was probably a top rank martial artist!" Bazett clenched her fist while she imagined a silhouette of a person standing over a cliff while thunder roared and the ocean raged behind him.

"Nah, he's a working student who fixes radios and other simple machines for a living." Archerko waved her head and described Shirou in detail to the enforcer.

At that point, a loud crash of shattering glass echoed inside Bazett's imagination. She could somehow see a snotty little four eyed brat with carpenter tools waving at her with a lewd expression on his face. "Lies!" She grabbed Archerko by the shoulders and started frantically shaking her for more answers.

"Uwo-uwo-wo-wo…" Archerko mumbled uncontrollably as her brain gets rattled by Bazett's constant shaking. "I- It's tru-rue."

"Grrr…" Bazett dropped Archerko then placed her hands on her hips. She tried to control her breathing to compose herself. "Anyway, it doesn't necessarily mean that me and your Bazett have the same destiny." She said to comfort herself.

"Eh? Does this mean, this Bazett has specific tastes?" Archerko grinned. She finally saw a flaw in that seemingly flawless armor the enforcer had.

"T-there is no such thing!" Bazett had yet to recover when she's suddenly hit by this question. "As I said, my job is my only…"

"Muscular and fit?" Archerko slowly crept behind Bazett and started caressing her hips and thighs. "Maybe you want someone who can carry you in his arms like a prince-…"

Before Archerko could finish, a straight right found its way to her forehead. She dropped on the floor sideways with her forehead reddened and smoking. She had a painful expression while she moaned in pain, writhing on the ground.

"Aw… ouch that's not how you treat a sick person!" Archerko complained.

"Oh so now you admit that you're sick! Come! This nighttime breeze is killing your commonsense!" Bazett angrily grabbed Archerko's hair and started dragging her on the floor.

"Ouch! Ouch! Now you're acting like Rin Tohsaka!" Archerko cried as she struggled on the ground while holding unto her scalp in pain. She experienced this sensation every day in her home world. Every time she'd cause trouble, Rin would always come behind her and pull hard on her hair. That didn't teach her to behave but it did teach

"Non-sense!" Bazett continued to mercilessly drag the former servant for a few meters towards the dorm until something caught her attention. "What's that?"

"Archerko-sama!" A voice called out from the dark unlit halls of nearby dorms.

"Eh?" Both Archerko and Bazett paused to see who it was. Just at their right, a few meters away from them, a girl student in her pajamas was running towards them with a blush and a smile on her face. She was a ginger and was had a petite built. Her voice was sort of high pitched which would notify anyone who hears her that she's a young first year. Bazett released Archerko to allow the two to greet each other.

"S-sorry to bother you b-but…" The girl was fidgeting and looking away as she tried to create a conversation with the Zero's familiar.

Archerko tilted her head and smiled. "Hmm?" She asked. She didn't want to surprise the girl by asking her name or pressure the girl by frankly asking her intentions. A simple 'hmm' should be good enough to encourage the lass to speak her mind.

"P-please come with us!" The girl bowed her head courteously before pointing to the group of students hiding behind some pillars in the hall the girl came from.

"Eh?" Archerko and Bazett exchanged looks.

"Remember, nothing too strenuous." Bazett warned the alluring silver-haired and reminded her of their deal.

"I know, I know," Archerko nodded obediently. She felt suspicious on why a bunch of girls would invite them to come but they looked harmless. Besides, if they were any threat, Archerko was confident enough that her current guardian is capable of defending for the both of them.

Four of the first year's dorm-mates shyly greeted Archerko and the enforcer. They looked awestruck. One of them sported a blonde, ponytailed hair and wears a blouse and pajamas. Another one of them was a red head who lets her hair fall freely up to her waist and she was wearing a red shirt and green cotton pants. The last one had a short black hair that wore a green blouse and frilly shorts that extended a cut above her knee. All of them were fairly energetic except for the black-haired lass who seemed too shy to come out behind the pillar she was hiding on. They hall they were in were the first year dorms. Like Louise's dorm it looked plain outside but inside the rooms was grand and luxurious items fit for nobles.

"A-Archerko-sama!" The pony-tailed lass cheered in a rather soft voice. "I- I'm honored to finally meet you in person."

Hearing this made Archerko blush a bit. She watched how idols were treated back in her world and she could swear she felt probably the same sensation as those people did back there. She was admired by many of the opposite sex in school, it was rarely because of her talents but rather for her adorable cuteness and antics. Although that comment about 'finally meeting you in person' bit made her felt a bit weird. It was not like she was in the television or somewhere far away that those girls couldn't have come and approached her sooner. Then again she couldn't blame them for their choice of words.

"What exactly are you-…"

"W-we're honorary members of the Archerko fanclub!" The red-haired girl proudly cheered.

"A fanclub eh? It seems that you're pretty famous here." Bazett said this with a cold expression which almost contradicted her seemingly complimenting tone.

"This is the first time I've heard of this…" Archerko returned a look at Bazett before entertaining the girls. "I have a fanclub?"

"The biggest and the best club there is currently!" The twin-tailed girl bragged with her chest puffed up and her hands on her hips.

"Really?" Archerko grinned. "What other clubs are there?" She wondered.

"Well, there's the Kirche fanclub." The blonde replied while putting her finger on her lips as if she was trying to remember. "But the members of that club are all boorish disgusting men!" She hissed.

"Snrk…" Archerko snickered. "Yes I suppose that girl will get that kind of fans. But I'm surprised all my fans are girls." The epic spirit giggled. The thought of girls admiring her kind of reminds her of another girl who once admired her a long time ago.

"False!" The silent black-haired girl who has been hiding behind a pillar until now said out loud. "Sixty-five percent of Archerko-sama's fans are actually boys from different year levels."

For a few seconds the place seemed eerily quiet that they could hear a cricket chirping.

"Uh…"

"P-please don't mind her, she just gets into that state when it comes to that kind of stuff." The red-head tried to cover for her friend while flailing in front of Archerko.

"…-right…" Archerko could feel a trickle of sweat slide down her cheek. "So it's not just you guys then?"

"Goodness no!" The ginger who originally invited Archerko to come replied for her friends. "I can estimate about eighty-five to a hundred people are already a member of the fanclub. You're very popular Archerko-sama!" She seemed awkwardly cheerful about this.

"Oh? Maybe I'll meet with everyone some time." The familiar smirked. "Did you need help? You sounded like it when you were calling us a while ago."

"Well umm…" The ginger hesitated and once again began fidgeting in front of her idol.

"I- it's too embarrassing to ask Archerko-sama about these kinds of problem." The blonde was blushing bright red when she pulled her ginger friend away.

Archerko gave a little frown and said "geez I'm already here I think it's too late for that."

"We're after a panty thief!" The red-head stepped forward with a fist raised to show her guts and eagerness to capture their target.

"Ehhh?" Archerko prolonged the syllable in surprise. "That's rather…"

"Four girls in our dorm and two in another were already victimized by this lewd bandit!" The red-head looked more fired up as she continued to explain.

"And because the first victim was from our dorm everyone think that the culprit also originated from our circle." The black-haired girl whispered softly and almost tearfully while clinging on the sleeves on the twin-tailed blonde.

"It's logical…" Bazett intervened. "The culprit indeed is usually connected where first incident happened."

"T-that's exactly why we have to catch that thief to prove our innocence!" At this point, people could visibly see flames appearing in the red-head's eyes.

"Okay then! We'll help!" Archerko raised her hand high in a close fisted victory pose. A part of her wanted to help these students who look up to her so much, but the reason was mostly because she's bored.

"I don't think so, no strenuous activities remember?" Bazett grabbed Archerko's shoulder.

"But!" Archerko gasped.

"Oh and there's a price of gold and silver to whoever will catch that villainous pervert!" The ponytailed lass showed the two a cut-up note from a news scroll which was daily distributed in the academy. It seemed that a fine price was on the head of the thief.

Bazett's arms stiffened before she released her vice like grip from Archerko's shoulder. "Lewd people in this world must be punished." A dark aura seemed to shroud the enforcer while the light in her eyes turned into a purple gaze.

"But my…" It was Archerko's turn to remind the enforcer of the deal they had.

"Non-sense. Catching thepanty-thief won't be strenuous at all. In fact I'd go as far as to say that it will be a good exercise."

The counter-counter-guardian closed her eyes to prevent giving Bazett judgmental stares any further. She could not imagine the kind of heartrending experiences that made the Bazett from that world into this kind of 'business woman'.

"By the way, I haven't asked your names yet." Archerko turned to her fans. They've been talking all this while about the panty-thief and the club without having properly introduced.

"Oh please forgive our rudeness!" The ginger took the liberty to apologize and introduced herself first. "My name is Ursola Blanca from the house of Blanca." The lass bowed with all nobility and grace. Looking at her form as she gracefully bent her body to show her respect to her idol it's obvious that this girl came from a high-ranked family. "These are my friends Ysabel, Caterina and Raphaela." She introduced her friends. Ysabel was the red head. She hails from the family of Mena. Caterina Salvador was the cheerful blonde. And Raphaela was the shy nymph hiding behind her friends.

"Those are such wonderful names." Archerko smiled. Deep inside her mind, her image had twitching eyebrows and pulsing cheeks. She thought for sure she would hear another long name such as 'Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere'.

"How about you Ms. Archerko?" The girl titled her head while curiously looking at Archerko. "Surely Archerko isn't your full name."

"Eh? I- I can't really remember." Archerko stuck her tongue out playfully after a half-lie.

"That's no good Archerko-sama! Our names hold the honor of our families! You should treasure yours more!" They looked a bit offended but they looked more worried wearing those frowns.

Archerko rolled her eyes to avoid eye contact with her three admirers. She could she where they were coming from. However ever since she left her old life she never used her full name again. Not that she didn't want to, but rather she literally felt that she was no longer that person.

"Well I-…" Archerko scratched her head to think of a good reason to give the little girls.

"Archerko-sama can't remember?" Ysabel carefully looked at Archerko's face. "Well I'm sure it'll come back soon! Tell us when you do!" She cheered.

Ursola who was looking at Bazett since they started talking about their names approached the enforcer. "How about you big sister? What's your name?"

Bazett turned to the lass and said, "Bazett" with a stone face.

"Is that just an alias too? Did you forget your full name as well?" The young mage asked persistently.

"Right now I am working as a guard in this castle and currently I am Archerko's guardian." Bazett started explaining. "In my field of work giving my full name means giving a dagger to any potential enemy lurking nearby."

All of the four students said "ooh" with a curious look at Bazett. Archerko on the other hand thought silly of the reason. Back in her world, Bazett is already pretty famous with her enemies because of her trademark weapon the Fragarach. Then again, it's a fundamental of any long-term combat to hide information and she could not deny that. She only felt a little sorry that the enforcer was somehow treating these fledging mages as 'potential enemies.'

"Do you have any leads about the culprit? Perhaps he left a trademark in each of his works?" Archerko decided to return to the panty-thief topic.

"Well… it seems that the culprit is an earth-mage because there were holes on the ground in the places where the panties were stolen." Caterina tried to remember every detail of the case.

"Tunnels?" Archerko followed up a question. She imagined that those holes were tunnels used by the perpetrator to enter and exit the premises.

"We're almost sure of it!" Ysabel said this out loudly.

"Almost sure? Don't tell me no one has yet to go inside one of those holes to investigate?" Bazett asked.

"It's because the holes were covered by the culprit. The only reason why we knew they were holes is because of the circular outline and the obvious cover-up." Ysabel explained. "The teacher did not give us permission to dig and go inside one of those holes… at least not yet."

"Can you show us one of these holes?" Archerko requested. It's commonsense that to start with catching the thief a good investigation will always help if not necessary.

"O-of course Archerko-sama!One of them is near here." Ysabel blushed as she led the way to the hole's location. It was only a few meters from where they were.

The hole was located almost at the very center of a square clearing near the first-year dorms. The clearing wasn't big too as it was just as big as a small convenient store's parking lot. The hole itself was just a little bigger than a meter in radius. It's as the girls said, there was no hole but an outline of a freshly dug pit. It was a sloppy cover-up and people could immediately see the uneven displacement of soil in relation to the whole area.

"Are you really sure that the person who stole those underwear is an earth-mage?" Archerko sat down elevated from the ground, only balancing on toes as she bent over to observe the hole some more.

"Um!" The four mages nodded in synch.

"Only an earth-mage can manipulate the earth to dig this far to an escape route right?" Ursola asked.

"They're right. No matter how far the other ends of these little tunnels are it's impossible for a man with a shovel." Bazett gave her two-cents worth of thought.

Archerko knew that they were correct about that. But something about the hole was suspicious. "It's just that, isn't the work too sloppy for an earth-mage?"

"Eh? Well…" Caterina gasped along with the others. They didn't think about this possibility beforehand. They looked at each other for answers but none could give Archerko a good reply.

"But whatever or whoever it is, I guess it won't matter now." Bazett interrupted. "Did you have a plan for catching this thief?" She asked the girls.

"Um!" Once again the girls agreed and nodded their heads. "We planned on planting decoy panties all over the place." Raphaela went inside a room then dragged a box filled with a variety of underwear.

Archerko took a closer look at the bait. They were different colored panties. Unlike the panties from her world, these were not too revealing. Some of them even looked like mini-shorts and not transparent at all. Archerko didn't want to say it but she felt bored looking at them. It's a surprise that a thief would settle for these but if that's the plan then it would have to do.

"So are we ready to set the trap?" Archerko asked. She rather not go into the details of the boring design of the childish panties in front of her.

"Yes!" They happily and spiritedly replied.

A few minutes later

"Don't you think this is too… obvious?" Archerko asked the four mages. She couldn't believe what she was looking at. The panties were spread so stupidly scattered on the lot that it was obvious bait. Some were hanged on chest high walls and twigs of plants but that just made it look worse.

"That's the beauty of it! Mr. Robber will be sure to come here because it's obvious right?" Caterina cheered. Archerko couldn't help but look at the girl with the corner of her eyes and think 'how stupid is this'?

"The simplest plan works sometimes I guess." Even Bazett who was not known for her wit immediately knew that this idea was pathetic at best. But it's all they have right now.

"Uh-huh… well if that's all and we're set then I'm going to hide behind this bush and watch this plan fail." Archerko walked and sat behind a bush.

"Great! We'll join you!" Ursola cheered and led everybody else behind the bush Archerko was hiding in.

After a few minutes, Archerko was already pretty much sure that their plan failed. There was no sign of any panty-thief digging from underground.

"I don't mean to be pessimistic but…"

"Hey look!" Raphaela said this softly while pointing up at one of the dorm's roofs.

"Eh?" Archerko looked up to see a hooded person appear on the roof. Whoever it was he certainly looks the part of the thief. He was shrouded in black cloak and hid his face inside a hood that covered the entirety of his face. "I guess he's not an earth-mage after all?"

Just as Archerko said that, a bunch of concrete blocks extended from the wall to act as steps as if they were pushed from the other side. The mysterious man started walking down the magically made stairs. He was limping down as if he was injured constantly touching the left side of his waist.

"What the…" they heard the man groan as he stood silently at the messy display of bad laundry management in front of him. Maybe out of curiosity he bent over and picked up one then started to examine it just below eyelevel.

"We have you now panty-thief!" The four mages jumped out of the bush they were hiding in with their wands drawn and ready to attack.

"Wait guys I don't think…" Archerko who was still inside the bush reached out for them but…

"I'm going to punch him in the face!" Bazett who Archerko expected to be more careful about the situation leaped out of the bush and confronted the hooded man as well.

The man quickly tried to escape by strafing to his right and disappearing in a corner. However, Bazett was quick to follow the man with the girls behind her. Archerko got out of the bush still wondering if they had the right person. She decided to follow everyone to chase the man but before she could leave their trap site a rather peculiar sound caught her attention.

"What's that?" She said as she turned to find the source of the noise. It sounded like paper rustling and it was coming from somewhere in the trap site. Not too far away from the center of the empty lot Archerko saw four sharp claws appear from underground. She immediately knew that something was trying to dig its way up the soil. "What in the world…" Archerko doubled step backwards. She wasn't sure if this was the panty-thief but it's obvious that this was the culprit making all the holes in the academy.

After the hole was made big enough, Archerko finally saw what the culprit was. It had a long snout, nope she wasn't sure if it was a snout or just an extra appendage and had a triangle mark on its jagged forehead which made it look like a small hornless triceratops. To her surprise the creature started collecting the panties which it slid down its hole.

"Verdante!" A voice called out. It was a blonde haired boy who Archerko always saw when she accompanied Louise in classes.

"Ah you're…" Archerko pointed at the boy as she searched her memories for the boy's name. She knew him by face but she never really talked to him so she didn't know his name at all.

"Ah Miss Archerko!" The boy smiled as he paused after reaching the creature which immediately stopped raiding the different colored undies planted on the scene. "I'm Guiche, Louise's classmate." He introduced himself before getting a rose and rubbing his hair to give off that 'pretty boy look' other girls always admired about him.

"Ah!" Archerko gently hammered her left palm with her right fist. "I remember now. You're that dot earth-mage."

The term 'dot' pierced Guiche's heart and fell into an imaginary black hole. Being popular with women he could not accept such a bad description no matter how true it was.

"That's not entirely true! I'm now strong enough to be promoted to a line mage." He braggedwhile trying to save some face.

"Is this your familiar?" Archerko pointed at the mole which crawled behind Guiche as if it was using the boy to act as a pillar to hide from the epic spirit.

"Yes, you'll have to forgive him, since last week he suddenly got the craving of cotton things like towels and…" Guiche tried to explain everything to Archerko who was already looking at him weirdly.

"So you're the panty-thief Guiche?" Another familiar voice joined their conversation. It was the braided blonde girl named Montmonrancy.

"M-Montmonrancy my love!" Guiche gasped in surprise due to the girl surprising him from behind. "I-it's not what you think."

"You probably trained him to do your dirty work and had him steal maiden's panties didn't you?" Montmonrancy had an angry look on her face as she scolded the young noble.

"I'm innocent I swear." Guiche continued to feign innocence despite the sweaty and nervous look on his face. Then again, he always looked like that whenever he talked to Montmonrancy so you can never really tell.

"Wait, if this mole was the culprit then…" Archerko remembered the girls and Bazett who ran after a mysterious earth-mage. "I'm sorry but I need to go." She hurriedly sprinted to the direction where the enforcer and the mages disappeared into.

Bazett and the mages chased the man into a small intersection where the man vaulted over a signage that says 'teacher's quarters to the right, junior dorms to the left, principal's quarter's straight ahead'. He kept heading north probably hoping that the 5 will be deterred from entering the Principal's Quarter's Area.

"Oh no, he's entering that area!" Caterina groaned. It wasn't as if the Principal's Quarters were strictly forbidden to students but the slightest of commotion they will do inside there can merit them punishments.

"I won't let you go!" Ursola waved her wand and sent a small gust of tailwind to blow behind them. This helped the group run faster than the suspected thief and close the gap easily.

"Good job little girl!" Bazett gave a rare praise to someone she barely knew. She leapt seven meters forward in an altitude of eight-feet and landed directly in front of the suspect. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have you sleep for a while!" Almost instantly without putting up a stance Bazett sent a straight punch to hit the man between the eyes.

Surprisingly the man was pretty agile. With a head sway and a full body spin the man managed to pass Bazett while waving his wand in the process. The spell he casted was an earth-manipulation spell that caused the concrete ground beneath Bazett to shoot up and launched the enforcer back to where the four mages were. She was launched ten feet in the air where she spun backward opposite to the vector she was thrown to cushion her fall and to reduce the distance.

"That was no amateur tactic." Bazett grunted as she turned back and resumed chase of the black cloaked mage. While running she pierced the ground with four fingers on her right hand. The rune on glove started to give an eerie green glow while green sparks flickered beneath her. "Hwah!" She shouted. Using her hand and her rune the enforcer sent a huge square concrete slab flying at her target without stopping her sprint. It looked like how samurais and ninjas used their tatami mats to blind their opponent back in the feudal times in her world, only this time it's a quarter of a meter thick concrete block.

The enemy mage looked behind him to be surprised to see a huge rock flying after him. Being an earth-mage he managed to use his control over earth to slow down the velocity of the concrete tatami then destroyed it by erecting a stalagmite from the ground. However her sprint was already finished for the time she needed to cast that stalagmite spell was just what the enforcer needed to close the gap. From this point on he's going to have to fight his five pursuers.

When she got near enough, Bazett's rune on her right boot glowed bright green and gave off sparks. That boosted her strength which gave her the ability to kick the ground in such an impressive strength that her burst forward sounded almost like gunshot. She pulled back her hand in a fist to gather her strength to deliver a devastating punch.

The mage could not see any way to dodge this attack and blocking it with his hands or any part of his body will be debilitating. Having no other options left he could only return an attack. His attack of choice: a simple earth-ball attack. Nothing complex really, with a flick of her wand a mixture of soiland concrete clumped together in a form of an imperfect sphere broke off the floor and levitated to her aid.

Bazett was too experienced for this kind of mediocreattack. With her free hand, she easily brushed away the ball as if it was nothing which safely landed beneath a tree. She thrust her fist while putting all of her weight forward to amplify her punch. Her target was the enemy's face hidden somewhere inside that dark hood. She could already imagine her opponent flying bloodied and was ready to claim victory. However, the earth-mage was not too kind to give her that satisfaction just yet. To her surprise a wall of sludge composed of mud appeared between them. Bazett's fist pierced through the wall but as she went deeper the quarter of a meter thick wall started to harden. The enforcer found her arm stuck in the hardened mud.

Bazett's punch, though stopped, was so strong that it caused a shockwave which knocked the mage off her feet. This would have been checkmate right there if only Bazett could follow up an attack but the wall of mud was proving to be quite the obstacle. The hooded mage struggled to get up to his feet but Bazett was not the only person chasing him. Because of the enforcer, he almost forgot about the other three mages trailing her.

"Prepare to pay for your crimes you lewd thief!" Caterina shouted bravely as she passed Bazett who was still trying to pull her arm free of the wall.

"No you idiot! He's not someone you can handle!" Bazett raised her free hand to reach for the girl who just passed her but the lass was already too far away.

Caterina was a dot water mage. She just started her first year in the academy and only had basic knowledge in magic. Because of how easy Bazett made it look like, it was no wonder that she could not gauge the difference in power between her and their enemy.

"Water needle!" She shrieked. After a twist and wave of her wand vapor started to condense into water forming the shape of needles. About a dozen of 10 centimeters long water needles appeared in midair ready to home to their target.

In the hands of an able mage water needles are very dangerous. They can slip through armor and kill the person inside brutally and they can overwhelm an entire group with sheer numbers. However, Caterina was in no way close to that level. She was immediately reminded of her recklessness as a slab of concrete easily shot down her attack. Furthermore that concrete was shaped into a drill which was mercilessly driven on her shoulder. It's fortunate that the distance between her and the point of release was very close which made it impossible for the drill to gain enough power to lethally bruise her. She was thrown three meters backwards then landed on her back unconscious beside Bazett and her three other friends.

"Girl!" Bazett cried as she tried to reach out for the girl who was lying beside her. Before she could reach out to the young lass a large shadow covered them. She turned to see what it was.

The earth-mage who saw this opening as a chance to rid him of his pursuers managed to gather enough magical energy and materials to create a boulder the size of a small house. If it was Bazett, she could destroy that boulder easily by facing it head on. However to the enforcer's horror, the mage's gaze was not fixed on her but the four fledging mages. If this mage intended to kill the girls, one arm would not be enough to save them all.

"Run!" Bazett issued a command to the girls in her care. However when she turned to look at them their faces were filled with paralyzing fear while they stared death in the face in the form of that huge boulder.

"Caladbolg II!" A proud cry rang out.

Something travelling in the speed of Mach Five passed over Bazett and the firstyears before a small hurricane ruffled their hair and blew away the wall of mud. It was the familiar sound of a sonic boom. This sound can only normally be heard when a jet breaks the sound barrier or just as a space rocket escapes the atmosphere. Bazett could only make guesses on what it was. In this world where Science and Technology are so far back there should be nothing that can achieve such a feat.

The enemy mage was frozen in silence for a few seconds. The boulder he intended to crush his enemies started crumbling for it could no longer support itself after a human-sized hole was blown through its center. Frustrated, he used what was left of the boulder to mold them into sharp concrete lances. He need not know what attacked him, what he knew was that he needed to get the job done and escape the scene. He flung several spears at the Bazett and the mages.

Bazett who was already free from the mud-wall could've repelled or dodged the spears easily. But with the young mages with her, it's a hard task especially since she has yet to recover from being rattled by the sonic boom. The lances flew swiftly at the group and most of them were aimed at the mages. The enforcer used her rune to punch and deflect some of the lances but there were still several lances flying to the girls.

"Ahhh!" The first year mages shrieked in horror as the lances near them. One of the lances was especially fast as it travelled its way to meet with Raphaela's face.

Bazett lunged towards Raphaela to catch the lance but to her dismay it passed through her hands just before she could grab it. "Crap!" She shouted.

Raphaela was sure to meet her end at that moment if the lance did not break exactly in front of her just before it hit her between the eyes. A series of red rings appeared in an array shielding everyone from every lance the enemy mage fired.

"These are the rings that lead the road to heaven… Rho Aias!" Archerko said as she dropped from above landing with her knees bent to cushion her fall.

"Hn…" For the first time today, the mage groaned in despair after seeing the crimson rings that blocked her attack. But, even this supernatural phenomenon did not break her persistence. She used the remaining debris to try and break the shield, twelve lances to be exact.

Archerko allowed three of the lances to break in contact with her Rho Aias. However, to everyone's surprise she dropped the heavenly shield and summoned two swords- the kanshou and bakuya to directly confront the remaining lances. The phantasmal swords cut through the concrete weapons as if they were made of paper. Archerko was careful not to dodge a single one for that would mean bad for Raphaela behind her. She took down the lances gracefully with unrivalled precisionbeing careful to use only one strike each to knock it off its trajectory.

Just before the final lance reached her, the swords she summoned broke into shards leaving her with nothing to use to deal with it. Even then her face did not have a single sign of worry. Compared to the flying spear of death or the hrunting, the concrete lance was moving in boring slow-motion. She stretched out her and grabbed the lance by its broad body. Then she used the velocity of the spear to spin around and take control of the weapon.

"Back to you!" She roared as she molded the earthen-spear with Tracing. The new form of the lance was that of a red spear which she was very familiar with, except for appearance it did not have any of the properties of the said spear. She tossed it back at the mage with all her strength but her aim was off and missed the mage's face by just an inch.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds. It was Archerko who turned around and faced Bazett and the others. "He's not the panty-thief. We already caught the culprit back there." She pointed at the direction of the first year's dorms. "Whoever you are, you're free to go, sorry for all the trouble." She looked back at the earth-mage while keeping a calm facade. The man immediately took that offer, turned around and left.

"But Archerko-sama that guy… he…" Ursola urged Archerko to pursue the mage who injured her friend.

"No. She's right, Caterina's injuries takes priority. We need to take her to a clinic." Bazett knelt beside the unconscious mage and checked for her pulse. Thankfully she's still alive.

After making sure that Caterina was fine Archerko approached the other mages. She thought that after what happened they would be in shock. "Are you guys alright?" She asked with a gentle smile.

The girls nodded. They didn't suffer any injuries but it was obvious that they were still rattled. It's probably the first battle they experienced and they had a close brush in with death.

"That's great." Archerko cheered. "Bazett! I broke the deal so I'm going back to the dorm." She waved at Bazett before walking away.

"…" Bazett looked at the silver-haired servant take small steps towards the dorm. "Girls can I count on you to take care of Caterina?" Bazett asked the mages.

"Yes, the clinic isn't too far away from here." Ysabel replied.

Bazett nodded then ran after Archerko. She took the servant's left arm and placed it over her shoulder.

"Eh?" Archerko who was surprised a bit looked at Bazett who was now walking closely beside her.

"I apologize for I did not do my job properly." The woman who's currently a guard in the academy said this in a disappointed tone.

"A-ha…" Archerko gave a weak smirk then a weak laugh. "Your job was to keep me safe… I'm still alive aren't I?" She replied. Then she looked down as if she couldn't even muster the strength to turn her head.

"Uhm…" The Answerer moaned a bit as she looked at Archerko. She knew how dire the current situation was. That shield she used back there wasn't a normal shield. It's a conceptual shield that pierces commonsense.

Upon arriving at the dorm they were greeted by Louise who had a Band-Aid on her right cheek. She looked as if she was seriously lost in thought before she opened the door for Bazett and Archerko.

"Why were you out? You're supposed to be resting!" She scolded the familiar who at this point was already standing by herself without the aid of Bazett to hide her condition from Louise. "And you…" The Zero turned to the enforcer who was standing adjacent to Archerko. "You were supposed to make sure she stayed here not accompany her in her shenanigans!"

"I have no excuses." Bazett closed her eyes and admitted her failure.

"Don't blame her, it was my idea and I was persistent." Archerko defended Bazett. "Besides I'm fine now see." She successfully did a couple of jumping jacks and pretended to jog after to show Louise that she's now healthy.

"Nnn…" Louise glared at the both of them. She didn't know whether she should accept what Archerko said just now. She could not think straight for she just survived a rough ordeal nearly an hour ago.

"Anyway… I… I…" Archerko's vision began to double before everything went blurry. The next thing she knew was she's already lying on her side on Louise's bed. She could hear her master call her name. She wanted to sit up and tell her that there's nothing to be worried about but her body is failing her.

"Archerko! Archerko!" Louise sounded very worried. She was almost in tears as she loomed over her familiar's body. "Why isn't she getting better?" She cried. Today was very stressful for her. Just an hour ago she was fighting for her life against a mage and a huge golem and now her familiar seems to have had a relapse.

"Louise, may I have a word with you about Archerko's condition?" Bazett approached Louise with a serious disposition.

"Huh?" Louise looked at Bazett with a curious look. Did Bazett know something she didn't? She wondered.

Before The Answerer could tell Louise anything a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Louise hurried to answer the door.

"The medicine you asked for Miss Valliere." Siesta entered the room with a tray of tea, some bread and some herbal medicines. She placed the tray on a table near the bed.

"Thank you!" Louise was grateful for Siesta's help. Normally the maid would already be asleep at this hour but she was willing to help Louise and Bazett about Archerko. "What was it you're going to say Bazett?" She turned back to Bazett.

"Archerko isn't sick, she's mana drained… no conventional medicine here or in my world can make her feel better." She said in a low tone.

At this point Louise's face looked grim. She did not fully understand what Bazett just said. "What do you mean mana drained? And what do you mean she's not going to get better?" She was beginning to sound frantic.

"When mages use too much of their magic, there are three things that can happen. The first is that they become too exhausted and regain their mana after some rest. The second is that they lose the ability to use magic for the rest of their life. The third is that… if they truly used too much mana, and they continued to abuse their depleted well… then they can lose their life." Bazett explained. She tried her best to explain it in such a way that Louise and Siesta would understand.

"Oh no!" Siesta gasped and placed both of her hands on her mouth. She was almost in tears. "T-this is my fault."

"No… the third case happens very rarely, only one out of a billion to be precise. However Archerko is different." She looked at the sleeping girl on the noble's bed.

"Different?" Louise asked, trying not to panic.

"I've seen beings like her. The abilities she showed me wasn't that of a mere mage. If my suspicions are right then she was originally a Heroic Spirit." Bazett look on Louise's face immediately told Bazett that she had no clue on what the enforcer was talking about.

"But… there's a way for her to get better right?" Louise did not bother asking what a heroic spirit was. What mattered right now is the fast recovery of her familiar.

"Originally, heroic spirits will recover their mana directly from their masters."

"From me?" Louise pointed at herself.

"Yes, but since she's here I assume that she's no longer tied to that rule. While she retained most if not all of her heroic spirit abilities it seems that she's closer to a human now rather than a spirit but it appears her dependence on mana still lingers. She will have to receive mana the primitive way." Bazett paused.

"And that is?" Louise and Siesta approached Bazett closer for they were eager to know how to cure Archerko.

"Well it's…" Bazett's lips were moving but because of what she said, it seemed like nothing was coming out.

Louise and Siesta's mouths were opened wide after hearing what Bazett had to say. They were extremely flustered.

"Eh!" They both screamed in unison.

"T-T-That's absurd!" Louise roared. "I-If that's a joke then it's not funny!" She started flailing in front of the enforcer uncontrollably.

"It's true. If a mage is talented enough, he or she can share their magic circuits but even a regular person has a natural resistance against thaumaturgy. To weaken that resistance and allow the circuit transfer to happen both mages have to reach the amplitude of ecstasy which only happens when people reach their climax. That way your partner can regain mana through you." Bazett pointed at Louise as if she was referring to the lass to do it.

"T-that's." Louise continued to stutter in extreme embarrassment.

"I'll do it!" Siesta stepped forward and volunteered. "I'll happily do it with Miss Archerko!"

"Very we-…" Bazett was about to agree to it but…

"No! S-she's my familiar and she's my responsibility! I'll do it." She said. "Besides Siesta you're not even a mage." Louise sucked up all of her shyness and approached Bazett for instructions. "S-so where do we start?"

"Okay let me explain… it's something like this" Bazett took out two pairs of scissors that she got from god knows where and started rubbing the together on the middle.

"G-gyahh!" Louise who thought she was already ready lost her composure again. "I- I didn't mean that you idiot! I-is there some sort of ritual first?" Louise asked while most of her cheeks were still red.

"Not really… you just need to get her ready first I suppose… I will facilitate the mana transfer while you concentrate on breaking her defenses. We can start now if you want." Bazett suggested.

"N-now?" Louise gasped. "W-well I…" She began pushing her point fingers together as if trying to buy some time.

"The sooner we do it the better our chances to save her life." Bazett reasoned. She had a grim expression on her face as if she was rejecting any other answer than 'okay'.

"Um…" Louise continued to fidget and noticed Siesta who had an eager look on her face. "O-okay but she needs to get out!" Louise pointed at the maid then at the door.

"Eh! But I want to watch!" Siesta protested with a rebellious look on her face. She puffed up her cheeks and raised both her hands on her chest closed fisted.

Bazett politely escorted Siesta to the door. "Please wait outside." She said.

"Humph!" The maid obeyed Bazett with a heavy heart. She felt like she just missed an opportunity of a lifetime. Certainly watching someone you admire get done is something really special, or at least that's what she thought.

"Now that she's gone," Bazett locked the door to prevent anyone from coming in… or going out. "We can get started." The Answerer slowly crawled over Archerko and started undoing the zipper on Archerko's back.

"H-hey what are you doing?" Louise asked while she clumsily scurried around the bed.

"I'm getting her ready." Bazett replied. "Also I will try to wake her up. This works best when both partners are awake."

"Nggh…" The servant moaned in her sleep as her shirt got loosened.

"Hey… wake up…" Bazett softly whispered to Archerko's ear.

As if by reflex the familiar opened her eyes weakly. "Wha?" Archerko asked. She was clueless on what's going on around her.

"Be a good girl and raise your arms." Bazett commanded as if she was talking to a little girl.

Surprisingly the girl who didn't bother taking orders from anyone, even her former master Tohsaka, slowly folded her arms upward which allowed Bazett to pull up the shirt covering the girl's flawless skin. She was beautifully glistening in sweat as her deep heavy breathing gave arousing chills.

"This is bad…" Bazett clicked her tongue in disgust.

"W-why?" Louise who was covering between her legs while awkwardly pushing her thighs together as if she was trying to hide a leak asked.

"Unlike you who looks like you're probably already gushing down there, this one isn't ready at all." Bazett frowned. "I guess it can't be helped since she's still only half-conscious. Can you do it?" Bazett turned to Louise who gasped out loud in response."

"I'll try…" Louise said meekly. The lass who had no experience of the act she's about to do crawl unto the bed Bazett just left. She was shaking uncontrollably for she did not know what to do. "S-so what do I do?" She nervously turned to Bazett while leaning over on all fours over Archerko.

"Use your tongue!" Bazett cheered her on.

"How would I know how to do that you idiot?" Louise cried.

"Perhaps I can help…" The door swung open gently to reveal a green haired girl wearing glasses on the other side. The girl entered the room with one hand on her hips and the other fixing her glasses.

"Y-you are?" Louise gasped after seeing their visitor. "Miss Longueville!" She recognized the face of the Principal's Secretary.

"I'm sorry Miss Valliere I tried to stop her but…" Siesta cried and apologized.

"Please don't blame her, I forced myself in." The bespectacled girl smiled and defended Siesta. "I'm here to ask you about your encounter about an intruder as some of the guards reported but while I'm at it maybe I can help you. What is it exactly?"

"W-well…" Louise struggled to explain the situation.

"We just need to get this girl ready for intercourse." Bazett interrupted with a cold tone. Even with this kind of delicate situation she still had that stone face as if it was very natural for her to talk about.

"If that's all then please allow me to help. Then you can take over." The megane walked towards Louise who sat beside Archerko.

"T-that's!" Louise tried to stop the secretary in embarrassment.

"Don't worry. I think I am more experienced in this than any of you here." The secretary winked then leaned over the sleeping Archerko.

Louise watched as the secretary started grazing her tongue over Archerko's shoulders. In response, the semi-conscious Archerko blushed and started moaning gently. Longueville started to nape on the familiar's neck, and then trailed her collarbone with gentle bites and kisses.

"K-kyahh!" Siesta squealed while she suppressed her own lust as she pressed her hands between her legs.

"G-get out you filthy maid!" Louise shoved the maid out of the door and locked it. She didn't feel right having someone else watch her familiar.

"Uwah" The maid cried as she got forcefully ejected from the room.

The glasses-girl unhooked the familiar's bra and started working on Archerko's chest as well. "She developed pretty well hasn't she?" She turned to Louise before taking another good look at Archerko's flawless, well-rounded breasts. She rolled what looked like a piece of cherry on a tasty bun between her fingers. "Look it's beginning to get stiff." She smiled as she played with the perky tip of a strawberry with the tip of her finger. Then she started licking between those attractive glands working her way up from the chest to the familiar's shoulders.

"M-munyah!" Archerko gasped with her eyes closed and began to twitch and move.

"She's almost ready," The megane started licking the familiar's glistening armpits while enjoying her loving grunts and moans. She licked her lips after savoring the silver-head's flavor inside her mouth. She deliberately and roughly started fondling Archerko's breasts with one hand while using her free hand to take out a bottle from inside her pants' left pocket. It was a bottle filled with a colorless substance. "Let me use this just to make sure." With a grin on her face she started uncorking the bottle's lid. However…

"Please cease that." Bazett grabbed Longueville by the wrist. "Any substance may have a negative effect on the transfer. Please stop that." She said with a sharp glare at the secretary.

"Tch…" The secretary clicked her tongue while looking away from the enforcer. She turned to the girl with a smile. "I'm sorry I was only trying to give her an aphrodisiac to make it easier." She kept the bottle inside her right pocket. She got off the bed and slowly approached the door. "Anyway, I think she's ready enough don't you think?" She smirked at Louise before completely exiting the room. Siesta took the liberty to peek in while the door was open but Bazett quickly closed it.

"It's your turn now Louise." Bazett urged Louise and gave her a gentle push.

"O-okay!" Louise hesitantly removed her own clothes. Now she knew what to do. She had to do something similar to what Miss Longueville just did but go further. She went over Archerko for the second time on all fours and whispered her name. "Archerko…"

"Nggh… Louise?" surprisingly, Archerko returned the call weakly, almost in a whimper.

Louise smiled for she was happy to see her loving familiar awake. She leaned in and kissed the girl. She didn't know what to do but her body seemed to act on its own. She pushed her tongue inside Archerko's inviting mouth. Their tongues danced in a loving tune inside the familiar's mouth while Louise's hands found themselves lovingly caressing Archerko's breasts. The sensation she felt in her hands that time were incomparable for they were very firm yet they were also very soft.

The Zero enjoyed groping every curve and every corner of her servant. But more than that, she enjoyed the cute moans her partner would give each time she touched a sensitive place. Those little whimpers reminded her of a little kitten that purred every time her owner strokes its lovely fur. Before she knew it, she was already drawn into her familiar's every being. She wanted to melt every fiber of the girl and meld with her.

After breaking the string of saliva connecting their tongues Louise found herself staring at Archerko's blushing face. The more she looked at those flustered cheeks the more she wanted to tease her. The roused mage lovingly traced a line downwards from Archerko's breasts to her navel where she paused to adore that round hole where the familiar's life chord used to be. Then she continued to move south until she reached the end of her servant's skirt. Slowly, she raised the black skirt until she could see Archerko's striped undies. They were generally white, designed with green stripes. Louise carefully and eagerly pulled them down.

The pink-haired lass saw for an instant the white blossom of her servant before Archerko closed her legs to Louise's surprise.

"L-Louise I…" Archerko gave Louise an embarrassed and hesitant look. "Y-you don't have to do this for me. I can recover in time…" She lied. In truth she just didn't want Louise to do what she might regret.

The mage smiled gently at the counter-counter-guardian before leaning forward for another deep kiss.

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><p>LEMON SCENE CUT<p>

If you're 18 and above you can read this part on the link that can be found in my profile

If you're not 18 yet, or above the age of consent, shoo shoo, go back to your mommy and ask for permission first

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><p>"Wake up." A voice called to Louise<p>

"Ghnn…" Louise groaned in her sleep. She felt something heavy rub against her chest. She slowly opened her eyes to see what it was and who it was who was calling her. She saw a blurry picture of her familiar smiling directly above her. She was wearing the shroud of martyr. But what was she doing and what was pressing against her chest?

"Wakey, wakey!" Archerko called out to her master again.

"Archerko?" Louise rubbed the dirt from her eyes and looked down to see what Archerko was doing. "What are you doing you dirty familiar?" She screamed as she found Archerko's hands kneading her chest. Using all her strength she kicked Archerko off the bed.

"Ow!" Archerko who flew across the room rubbed her back in pain.

"W-what are you doing so early in the morning you pervert?" Louise demanded for an answer.

"Well, they say you can make your breasts bigger if you massage them every morning." Archerko replied with a finger on her temple.

"I- I don't need such a-…!" Louise began flailing her arms at her servant.

"Really? Well I guess sometimes it's better to give up." Archerko teasingly winked at her master before clapping her hands.

"… y- you…" Louise angrily groaned before grabbing a pillow which she flung at her familiar.

"Oof!" Archerko forgot to dodge the pillow that slammed against her face. She brushed it aside to find a raging Louise wielding her wand on her right hand and a whip in the other. "L-Louise what's that?"

"I asked one of the maids to buy this for me to help me tame a certain uncontrollable animal… I guess I will have to test it out." The pink-haired mage stretched the whip which created a lashing sound.

"Waha!" Archerko hurriedly crawled to the window and jumped off to the nearby tree close to the pane.

"Come back here!" Louise roared as she blasted the tree-branch to smithereens. Archerko managed to get off before she got caught in the explosion.

"What's that?" One of the students heard the huge bang from Louise's spell.

"Isn't that?" Another student noticed a red flash appear beneath the tree. "Isn't that Miss Archerko?"

"Really? I heard she was extremely sick! She's finally well!" One of the students cheered.

"Of course! That's why we're in the Archerko fanclub!" It seemed that the students there were a part of that group that was created solely for Archerko.

"Come back here you dirty dog!" Louise began firing violent energy blasts at the fleeing familiar.

"Bweh!" Archerko stuck her tongue out as she dodged all the blasts by a centimeter's distance.

Not too far away, the enforcer watched them with an observant eye. "So the process worked. I guess we were lucky it didn't lead to a mutual destruction." She said while watching the familiar skillfully dodge all the energy blasts. Then she spanned the whole of the campus and noticed the different familiars with their masters. "It seems all the mages here have their familiars. I wonder if I should get my own. What would it be…? I wonder…"

Meanwhile, in a hut located not too far outside the academy two people wearing black hoods were talking. One of them was the earth-mage that fought Louise and Bazett while the other was a new face.

"Did they see you?" The new person in black asked with a worried tone. He sounded like an old man in his fifties. "I heard you got into a pretty hard fight."

"They didn't recognize me." The original guy in black replied with a female voice. Apparently he was a she inside that shroud of pitch black clothes.

"Will this affect our plans?" The old man asked, again with a worried tone.

"No. They're oblivious to who I am and what I was there for." The woman replied in a mischievous tone.

"Then why do you sound a little disappointed?" The old man followed up a question.

"Because I missed a chance to snatch a good pet." She replied with a sigh before taking a bottle of transparent liquid from her cloak.

"That's…"

"The ultimate love potion. Whoever drinks this will bend over to my will because of their love for me regardless if they're a girl or a boy." The woman explained. "In that fight I found someone rather tasty to use this on but there was someone rather perceptive near her. But it doesn't matter. I can still use this to better our plans. There are other targets for this wonderful potion don't you agree?"

"You never fail to interest me… Miss Foquette." The old-man complimented his acquaintance before giving off a sinister laugh.

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><p>Author Note: And... that's it for now, R&amp;R to help poor lil' me keep improving =D<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Void Bladeworks

**(A Zero no Tsukaima and Fate / Stay Night crossover)**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Still the same as ever, meh<br>**

**Author note: I've been thinking to make this into a nasuverse Xover, so expect something new =]  
><strong>

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><p>Three months ago, two months before Archerko was summoned in Halkegenia in a small farm in a neighboring continent a small family of three lived peacefully. A couple in their early thirties had a little boy who was about six years old. The husband sold all of his belongings he inherited from his father so he was able to afford the lot he bought from a noble. His loving wife was contented with the life he gave her in the farm while his little boy was very adventurous. They were doing fairly well and he had workers who toiled for them for a fair price. Their crops were bought for handsome prices by the kingdom.<p>

Tonight was what should've been a perfect night. The stars were clearly visible in the sky for there were no clouds that would signal any rain. The nighttime breeze was blowing kindly down the family's farm and their work was proving to be more bountiful than usual.

"Benjamin!" The father called lovingly to his son. He had a small pig killed and roasted for today was his son's birthday.

"Yes father!" The eager kid hugged his father by the waist while his mother looked at them with a gleeful smile.

"Oh Durante, you father and son is so alike. You are both so energetic." The mother complemented her husband and son.

"Well of course Emma! Come let's not eat inside the house tonight! Let's celebrate in the yard!" The father invited his whole family to eat outside. In the front yard was a long wooden table that could fit at least ten people for a meal. On top of it were different dishes the father prepared for the birthday of his beloved son. There were fried-chickens, some delicious vegetable soup, and some fruit salad and at the very center of the table was the mouth-watering roasted pork.

"Wow dad this is my best birthday yet!" The boy cheered after seeing the feast in front of him.

"Sorry we couldn't invite your friends." The father apologized while keeping the atmosphere cheerful with a smile.

"With all these food? I'm kind of glad we didn't." The child replied. The way he was thinking was rather advanced for his age. It was probably because of the capitalist blood inside him.

"Now, now, don't be greedy. The food won't run away." The mother scolded her son for being too quick to grab a pork skin.

The family started to dig in. Their meal was filled with smiles and laughter as they ate and talked about everything. Durante talked about how proud he was about Benjamin. Emma congratulated her child for reaching the age of six then proceeded to gossips she shared with some neighbors in downtown. Benjamin was mostly busy eating but had the time to brag about his victories over his friends in small child-games like tag and such.

"And then Charles shaid…" Benjamin was about to tell his parents another one of his conversations with his friends until they were interrupted by a blinding light that illuminated the night sky.

"Hwoah!" Mr. Durante gasped to see something glitter beneath the stars. "That's not lightning is it?" He pointed at the glowing celestial object. The object was almost spherical and was about two meters in radius. It showed an eerie glow of pale white which outshined the moon and the stars.

"I don't know honey, maybe it's one of those mages spells from a nearby academy. They cast those kinds of spells to light up the place remember?" Emma who too was oblivious about the matter replied.

"Don't those spells give off a yellow glow?" Mr. Durante remembered some instances when some mages used illuminating spells. All of them gave of a yellow light, a far-cry from this brilliant white one.

"Well maybe it's a more potent variant of that spell?" Emma replied. She didn't want to take that glowing sphere as something foreign or unnatural.

"Thish one'sh mowr beautiful." Benjamin who still had a piece of chicken inside his mouth was wide eyed in awe to see the glowing sphere. "Maybe it's a birthday gift for me." He gave of a soft giggle.

The whole family laughed at Benjamin's comment. This was a fatal mistake for at that moment they didn't notice the change in the sphere. The white glow began pulsating. It began throbbing similar to that of a human heart except that it pulsated more rapidly after each beat.

"D-dad what's happening?" Benjamin was the one to notice the sudden flashes coming from the sphere.

"Oh son, the spell is just probably dissipating." Durante laughed. He completely accepted the idea that this was just a more advanced variant of an illumination spell.

Ba dump ba dump ba dump. The pulse started to create irregular beats. Unknown to the family the sphere began to distort as lumps continued to appear and disappear from its outline. Then before they could react the sphere exploded following a blinding flash.

The family fell from their benches and some of the food on the table dropped on the grassy ground. The three panicked under the table while they checked what was going on. What they saw was a spectacle to behold- dozens of rays shot out from where the sphere used to be. Each of the rays landed in a different part of their world. One landed on Albion, some landed on Germania, and there were others that crashed in Romalia, some stayed near Gallia while there are some that strayed to Tristania. Fate would have it that one of the cards that stayed in Gallia landed on top of the farmer's crops and destroyed most of his vegetables on that lot.

"What the hell…" Mister Durante was speechless. Now he was sure that was no illumination spell. He slowly crept up from the table to check for any salvageable crop in the victimized lot. The amount of produce there was worth at least a month's worth of employee's salaries.

"Dear come back!" Emma beckoned for her husband to turn around and return to them

"Dad!" Benjamin called out as well for he feared for his father's safety.

"Don't worry it's safe." Durante turned to his family to ease their worries. Despite that, his family stayed beneath the table and watched him risk his life as he approached the small crater.

"What- is- that?" Mr. Durante was dumbfounded to see a card easily double the size of a normal playing card at the center of the crater. He approached it carefully as the smoke from the small explosion receded. There were two reasons why he was risking his life to approach the unknown. First is that he wanted to ease his family's suspicions and worries and he felt the only way they will be able to live peacefully in that farm now is to prove that it was nothing. Second is that he still hoped that some of the crops there survived that explosion.

"Honey be careful!" Emma shouted. She still had that worried look even though it was already serenely silent and clear.

"It's… it's just a card..." the farmer sat down and reached for the card which one tip was buried in the ground. He easily took it with a nudge and looked at it closely. On the card was a weird picture and design: a half man half wolf creature wielding a huge sword and on the bottom was a caption saying Berserker.

"Don't touch it dad!" Benjamin cried out. He was still in shock about the explosion and the sudden barrage of glowing projectiles that bombarded their continent.

"It's safe it's just a card!" Durante waved the card he got from the crater.

"That caused that explosion! It can't be just a card!" Emma warned.

"It was probably cursed before but it's now safe! It's… ugh…" Durante felt a piercing pain in his right hand which held the card. The card started glowing an eerie purple glow inside his hand.

"Dad!" Benjamin cried as he saw his dad get engulfed by the violet light.

"Throw it away!" Emma begged Durante to release the card.

"I- I can't! It's stuck to my hand. N-no I can't control my hand!" At that point the arm holding the card started to swell until the sleeve of his blue shirt ripped off like tissue paper.

"Durante!" Emma sprinted to help her husband but an invisible force pushed her back.

"N-no! Run!" Durante's skin began to blacken and his natural blonde hair started to turn black. His average body built started to swell like his right arm until most of his clothes and pants ripped to their breaking point. "Run!" He screamed at his family as he felt control taken from his body.

Emma turned the other way to grab her boy. She reached Benjamin and started running away heading to the horses' stable direction. Before she could gain any distance an explosion from behind her pushed both of them down. Both of them groaned in pain as they turned to look at what caused the explosion.

From where their father once stood now stands a man of gigantic build filled with rage and fury. The creature had humongous muscles with each being as hard as the most durable steel. His face was distorted in anger and his hair was blacker than the night sky. Smoke appeared from his mouth as if he was breathing in a winter environment.

"Hwarghhhh!" The creature roared. His roar made the sky tremble and shook the ground. His bloodlust spanned the farm to hunt and kill the nearest living thing.

"Durante!" Emma cried out to the last remaining humanity inside that monster. Running would be useless and hiding is not an option for they were in a clearing near the stables. Her pleas for mercy reached deaf ears as the creature walked slowly towards them. "Go Benjamin!" Emma pushed her son forward towards the stables while she struggled to drag herself on the ground. If Durante won't be stopped by her words then she knew it was over for her. At least she wanted her son to be safe.

Emma looked at Benjamin sprint to the stables after she pushed him. Then she turned back in front of her to see how close the monster was to her already but to her surprise the creature that used to be her husband was no longer there.

Goom! The ground trembled behind her. She gasped as her heart jumped not because she was surprised but because that came from the direction of the stables. She turned around to check for Benjamin but what she saw broke her heart. Inside the creature's right hand was Benjamin's head still attached to his paralyzed body. The boy was crying in pain as he pleaded for the creature's mercy. This only served to anger the giant more and the boy met his end as the furious beast crushed his skull and spine.

"Noooooooooo!" Emma cried in despair after seeing her child perish. Her pain was short-lived for the next thing she saw was the giant taking some sort of giant saw-like-sword filled with jagged spikes. After another furious roar the giant leapt directly towards while swinging down his sword at the helpless woman. There was nothing after that but darkness.

The next day the workers of the farm found Emma's flattened and dismembered body a few meters from her son's headless corpse. Witnesses say they saw a black mirage zoom past the farm when it happened. Some say they heard roars of bears and lions that probably attacked the family. No one knew what really happened but one thing was clear and that is the husband, Mr. Durante was nowhere to be found.

* * *

><p>Three months later in Tristania in the Academy.<p>

"You want to summon your own familiar?" Louise asked the person who just approached her for help. Louise was wearing her usual standard uniform.

"Yes, I deduced that if I want to fit in this world I'll need to have my own familiar for I too am a magus." Bazett explained. The enforcer was wearing the guard uniform the Academy gave her. It was the same uniform she wore when she fought the earthen-mage and helped Archerko.

"That's a surprise…" Archerko interrupted. She thought this Bazett would mindlessly do everything alone but asking for a familiar just turns that impression a few degrees backwards. Archerko was wearing a sleeveless undershirt and blue bra with shorts that stretched 15 inches above her knee.

"It's reasonable, I don't see why you can't but why ask me?" Louise wondered. As an Academy Patrol Guard she could've went to the principal for a much better instruction.

"Well if I compare your familiar to the others here it's clear that yours is the best." Bazett replied while I constantly turning from Louise to Archerko.

"Eh?" Both Archerko and Louise gasped and blushed.

"What's wrong?" Bazett wondered as she looked at their shy faces.

"What's this? Our little zero is now teaching magic? Is our world ending?" A familiar voice interrupted their conversation.

"Eh? Wait… who are you again?" Louise asked as she failed to recognize the person wearing a ton of bandages on her face.

"I'm Kirche you nitwit!" Kirche was irritated that Louise didn't notice her immediately. Behind Kirche was another friend, the blue-haired mage that helped Louise against the earthen-mage and almost single-handedly brought her defeat, Tabitha.

"Tabitha you're alright too!" The pink-haired mage ran and hugged Tabitha. "I'm sorry I wasn't much help back there." She cried remembering how much Tabitha suffered inside the grasp of that golem.

Tabitha nodded her head and said. "You did well." The little mage lost herself in a book again after that one-liner.

"Will I be interrupting anything?" The voice of a mature man probably in his fifties interrupted the friends. It was Professor Colbert.

"Nothing sir, I was just about to help Bazett learn how to summon a familiar." Louise replied.

"Is that right?" Colbert tilted his head. He was probably amazed that the void mage is coaching someone to use magic. "The principal wants everyone who encountered the mysterious mage in black in his office right now. I have an idea, why don't we all teach Miss Bazett how to summon a familiar in the principal's office?" Colbert suggested. Indeed it will be tackling two birds with one stone and it will decrease the chance of something exploding because of someone's wrong coaching or of similar reason.

Everybody except Archerko nodded. The counter-counter-guardian didn't really like the feeling of being interrogated. It reminds her so much of her past when she had to team up with the wizard marshal and some of the old homunculus to defeat a summoned evil. Nevertheless she accompanied everyone to the principal's office.

Upon reaching the principal's office they were warmly met by the principal and Miss Longueville. The green haired mage offered each of them a seat and some tea before she carefully hid something inside her cloak. She placed the tray of six glasses of tea on the center of a table where the seven of them gathered (this includes Colbert and the Principal). But before anyone could take their cup, the tray was bumped off the table and the tea spilled on floor.

"Forgive me how careless of me." Bazett apologized for bumping the tray off the table.

"It's alright. Accidents happen." Longueville replied before clashing gazes with Bazett for a moment. "_You bitch." _She thought to herself.

"A-ha-ha" The principal laughed. "Let's put this aside and talk about what happened with our mysterious mage. Can anyone precisely tell me?"

"Okay, excuse me while I secure a mop from the supplies room." The secretary excused herself from the room.

Kirche was the first to step forward and to report. She talked about how suspicious the man in black was when they saw him exchange information with another cloaked man. She also said in good detail on how they were desperately attacked by the man as he chased them to the forest.

"In our assessment, our guy is probably a skilled triangle earth-mage who's very close to a square class." Kirche ended her 'report' with a detailed description of the enemy's skills.

"A stone golem user eh?" The old man closed his hands as if he was in a prayer while he rested his chin above them. "I only know of one criminal who does something like this, uses earth-magic and golems. That's Fouquet."

"Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt? That famous mage bandit who goes after valuables?" Kirche asked. She wondered what kind of valuable the academy would have that would attract such a high profile criminal. "But that makes our culprit a girl?"

"Yes, she's very famous but no one knows how she really looks. I was hoping one of you could give us a clue." The principal sighed while he wore a very serious face.

"W-well…" Louise placed her finger on her temple while looking at her right as she tried to remember what she saw inside that hood. "I remember green… green eyes." She said.

"Green eyes?" The principal tried to confirm that information from Louise in which he received a nod.

"Just like the secretary?" Bazett asked Louise.

"Eh?" Louise gasped. "Now that you mention it their eyes are almost identical." Louise remembered the mischievous gleam in her opponent's eyes yesterday. She did not see the same malicious intent from Miss Longueville's eyes but they're certainly very similar. "W-wait are you implying that…" Louise paused with a look of contempt for Bazett. She particularly has no attachments to the secretary but she remembered the night when Longueville helped her get 'ready' to rejuvenate Archerko.

"No I am afraid that Miss Bazett is right." The principal sided with the enforcer. "When you were attacked yesterday it's hard to imagine that it was only a coincidence that she asked for a short leave that day. Also, I'm not sure you know but Miss Longueville hails from a noble family of earth-mages."

"Eh? But I have never heard of…"

"Miss Longueville's real name is Matilda de Saschen-Gotha. For some reason her noble clan crumbled and she was forced to live the life of a peasant. If she really is here to steal valuables then I understand her motive…" The old man's face didn't look angry even in the midst of talking of their current foe, but rather he looked more compassionate.

"It's to restore her noble pass…?" Kirche finished the principal's sentence for him. At this note Tabitha cringed as if the same thing applied to her in some way. "But what valuable is there to steal in the academy except for its noble students?" Kirche asked in her confusion.

"We kept this hidden from everyone to avoid something like this. However, today the academy will be a host to an exhibition of magical artifacts. In which there are two that reigns amongst the others." The principal explained. "The Staff of Destruction and the Mystic Card of the Skies".

"T-the Staff of Destruction?" Louise was shocked to hear about that artifact.

"Those two sounds really powerful yet somehow why do I feel that the names are exaggerated" Archerko who kept silent until now raised a question.

"You idiot! You don't know of the mighty Staff of Destruction?" Louise scolded her familiar for sounding conceited and ignorant.

"Uh-uh," Archerko waved her head. "Is it like a staff that conjures twenty-foot dragons or something?"

"No but it's something that can kill a twenty-foot dragon in one shot!" Kirche bragged. As a fire mage her affinity to things with 'destruction' on its name is pretty high. It's no surprise that she had this researched.

"So I guess it's something that amplifies a magician's magic power?" Bazett interrupted with a question of her own.

"We're not totally sure." The principal took it to himself to answer the question. "Only one person has used it so far and he took down a monster with a single shot. Up to this date no one has successfully used the Staff." He explained.

"So I guess it has a seal?" Bazett and Archerko looked at each other as if they were the only two who understood what each other was talking about.

"What about this Mystic Card of the Skies?" Archerko wondered about the second artifact the old man mentioned.

"Y-yeah," Louise stuttered. "How come I've never heard of that artifact before?"

"Me neither." Kirche placed her finger on her bottom lips, which is only one of the three parts of her face not covered with bandages.

"It's because it's a pretty recent artifact. The card literally fell from the sky from some distance. Eyewitnesses said it was shrouded in a mystical ray of light before it crashed into a forest clearing and caused a minor sink-hole to appear there." The old man shared what he knew and what he heard about the second artifact.

"So nobody knows what this card does?" Archerko asked.

"I know quite a thing or two about cards but until I see it with my own eyes I can't tell for sure." Bazett imagined the heroic cards from her world which she gathered and later on used against her by two magical girls.

"I am sure that Fouquet knows now that we're on to her. So if she's going to continue with her plan then she's going to do it today. We have square class mages protecting the exhibition but for some reason I just can't feel relaxed about it." The old man caressed his beard as if he was foreseeing something.

"T-then we…"

"No." The principal interrupted Louise before the girl could volunteer to protect the artifacts. "I do not mean to undermine your abilities but you are still only students. I cannot let you young ones fight tackle these kinds of situations especially now that I've learned that she was prepared to kill you in your earlier confrontation."

"B-but…"

"I will deal with this myself along with the other guards and the square class mages. She might be my secretary but to turn her wand to my beloved students is something I cannot forgive!" Louise and the others with the exception of Archerko and Bazett were astounded to see this side of the principal.

"Will Professor Colbert come too?" Kirche asked and turned behind her to ask the professor. To her surprise she found no one there and the seat the professor should be sitting on was empty. "Where's the professor?"

"Shit!" said Bazett as she noticed the half full glass of tea on the table. "He drank the tea." She looked at the semi-brown liquid in the mug in disappointment.

"Why what's wrong with the tea?" Kirche asked. "We didn't get to try them since you spilt them all."

"Last night she tried to give Archerko a medicine in a bottle. I found it to be suspicious so I stopped her. A while ago I found her secretly pouring that same medicine into all of our glasses so I purposely tipped it over." Bazett confessed about her actions.

"E-eh?" Louise gasped in horror. "Could it be poison?"

"Stand aside I know a spell that can analyze potions." The principal left his chair and waved his staff on the remaining tea inside the glass. The place where he stood glowed pale blue and after a few seconds he closed his eyes at the same time the light disappeared. "This potion is the banned love potion!"

"A love potion? Doesn't those kinds of things wear out fast?" Kirche who knew much about the likes of the said potion asked.

"Not this one, the only way for this potion to be removed is for the victim to be set apart from the suspect long enough and an application of an antidote. Otherwise he's going to be a slave of love to that woman!" The principal sounded grim. It's apparent that the situation has become more serious.

"A love potion eh?" At that moment Archerko leaped to her feet with a grin on her face. "And she attempted to make me take it? Well this changes everything!" She gritted her teeth while doing her best not to transform her grin into a frown. "Sorry Bazett but I won't be too kind; I have to ask you to stop me when that jerk is in the verge of death."

"Sounds like a hectic job. That will cost you extra." Bazett replied referring to Louise's contract with her as Archerko's personal body guard.

"The bounty I'll get from her should suffice." Archerko started marching towards the door.

Looking at her familiar's back Louise took her wand from her pocket and started following her servant. The two mages with her followed her side by side as they near the door that leads to a battle with the earth-mage they fought yesterday.

"Wait I said you're not allowed to!" The principal ran to stop them.

"Sorry sir but I won't leave my hopeless familiar alone to fight." Louise turned to the principal with a determined look on her face.

"And I can't let little Louise here take all the credit for herself." Kirche sided with Louise.

"…" Tabitha was silent but she walked closer to Louise to show her support.

"Don't worry old man." Bazett who was behind everybody stepped up to accompany their small party. "I too am pissed on what that woman did. She tried to kill the children I was with. If it weren't for Archerko I'm not sure if I could've saved everybody. So you can be sure everyone will return safely for I am with them." The enforcer gave a confident smile before waving goodbye to the old man.

"…" The principal sighed. His precious students just disobeyed his direct order. "Children today…" He groaned. "But whatever… I'll place my hopes on you."

Meanwhile outside the dome like structure the size of a five storied building a few of the guards and some four of the square class mages are struggling to keep two people out. They constantly had to dodge a ball of blue flame that stretched two meters in diameter while fending off a barrage of earth spikes.

"_So this guy is useful after all." _Fouquet thought to herself as she watched the victim of her love potion mindlessly fight for her.

"You bastards tried to hurt my Fouquet-chan I will murder you all!" Colbert roared before scorching the walls ground his enemies were walking on with blue flame.

"H-he's too strong! Retreat inside and lock everything. The walls inside this room are all magic resistant!" The academy guards and the four square class mages retreated to the safety of the dome.

"These walls won't save you from me!" With a flick of his wrist and a wave of his hand the entire dome was surrounded with blue flames. It looked like an egg dropped directly in a campfire. It didn't take long before the door swung open with guards and mages scurrying outside begging for air.

The guards were met with harsh blows from rock attacks and spikes while the four square class mages were easily warded away with a brush fire of blue flames. Before more guards and mages could interrupt them, the two entered the dome to take their spoils.

"So… this is the staff of destruction." Fouquet took her time in adoring the artifact that she came there for. "Sure looks weird… isn't this too fat to be a staff?" She asked.

"I don't know my love, but isn't that how rare artifacts should be?" The hypnotized Colbert replied with all his love in his tone.

"Sheesh at least you're strong." Fouquet sounded disgusted with her partner's cheesy lines. "And I suppose this is the 'Mystic Card of the Skies'?" She picked up a card with the picture of a man in long robes with a staff in his left hand and a book in his right. "What does it do? It doesn't look special."

"Sometimes, the best things are the simplest my dear." Colbert replied.

"Okay, okay now you're just being annoying." Fouquet covered her face with her palm. "Let's go we have what we came for!"

The two destroyed the backside wall of the dome from the inside and used it to escape. The dome was apparently only magic proof outside but the inside was just normal bricks. The dome was located fairly near the back entrance of the academy so it didn't take long before Fouquet and Colbert were free of the academy walls. They sprint to a hill where they were supposed to be picked up by one of their accomplices.

"That bastard he isn't here yet!" Fouquet sneered in anger. The academy is probably mobilizing its troops right now they don't have the time to be waiting here.

"Excuse me but are you waiting for that guy?" A voice asked Fouquet just after she felt a small tap on her shoulder. She looked at the direction where the random person pointed and she was surprised to see her accomplished tied down and beaten to a pulp. In his condition it looked like whoever beat him showed no mercy for his face was covered with lumps and most of his clothes were almost ripped off.

"W-who… you!" Fouquet jumped back in surprise to see Archerko behind her. It wasn't just the zero's familiar, Bazett was sitting on a rock which was erected on top of the hill, Louise and her friends were also standing beside Bazett with determined looks on their faces.

"So let's do the body count, you and your hypnotized minion against me Bazett and three other mages!" Archerko stood toe to toe with the earth-mage then both of them started sizing each other up.

"Then I'll just have to even up the field a bit!" With a flick of her wrist the ground rumbled.

"I-it's here, her monster golem!" Louise warned Bazett and Archerko who will face the golem for the first time.

The ground just behind Colbert rose to become a humongous golem. It was about 5 stories tall and each of its limbs was as large as a small store room.

"I'll take that one…" Bazett wore her runed gloves and jogged in front of the golem.

"W-wait seriously?" Louise tried to reach for Bazett. She felt that the enforcer was taking on too much than she could handle.

"Be alert little Louise!" Kirche who struggled to talk in the bandages scolded her younger peer. "We might as well have taken the golem now we have to take on him." Kirche pointed at the fired up professor.

"You naughty children need to learn your manners!" Colbert without warning shot out a stream of blue flame aimed at Louise but the blue flame was immediately extinguished by a blade that sliced through its entirety.

"So can you take him on?" Archerko asked the three mages as she held her sword Derflinger up after slicing the blue flame.

Louise saw the smirk on Archerko's face. Somehow she felt annoyed that her familiar was beginning to sound cocky. "W-who do you think you're talking to? You worthless familiar! Of course we can!" She replied.

Archerko sheathed Derflinger in the sword hoister hanging on her back. "Okay!" Without warning, Archerko dashed and disappeared from the vision of the enemy in front of her.

"W-what the!" Fouquet was shocked to see Archerko beneath her with legs ready to pounce and her hand in a fist.

"Horyah!" Archerko roared as she dug deep then lunged upwards for a high angle straight punch aimed at Fouquet's face. The punch grazed the earth-mage's cheek. Fouquet might have escaped that blow but her space was completely invaded by the familiar which caused her to fall off balance.

"H-Honey!" Colbert reached for the woman who was rolling on the ground but his hand was hit with one of Kirche's fireballs. "Ugh you dumb woman! You dare use fire against me!" With a wave of his hand a U-shaped blue flame erupted in front of him which threatened to burn his attacker.

"Ice wall…" Tabitha waved her staff and a half meter thick wall of ice appeared from the ground to block the wave of flame. The ice melted but the flame was quickly extinguished.

"You…" Colbert angrily glared at Tabitha as he prepared another flame spell with both of his hands.

"Hah!" Louise dashed in front of Tabitha with her wand up and released a burst of energy from her wand.

"Argh!" Colbert was forced to extinguish the spell he was mustering to dodge the energy blast. The rock which was a few meters behind Colbert was hit with Louise's spell and was immediately turned into a pile of dust and rubble. "If we were in the classroom right now I'd give that spell an F!"

"Eh?" Louise cried then began to burst in tears.

"Damn it zero, get it together!" Kirche pulled Louise up.

"So this is a golem…" Bazett looked at the huge monster rock from its toe to the tip of its head. She compared it to the things she fought in her world and this one would rank as one of the biggest she has ever fought.

The golem raised its arm and swung at Bazett for an overhead smash. Bazett raised both of her arms and crossed them together to form a shield. Just as the gigantic fist collided with her arms, the rune on her gloves glow bright blue which created some sort of mini barrier that deflected the smash away. Then, again with the help of her runes she punched a hole on the golem's shin. The golem's outer covering proved to be too hard to break in one blow and all she managed was a spider web crack. The enforcer stepped back to dodge the golem's foot which attempted to step on her just as she finished attacking.

"You don't happen to have any finishing moves do you?" She pretended to ask the golem.

"Why are you fighting me? Did I do something wrong?" Fouquet asked while striding sideways and showering her opponent with a barrage of little stalactites.

"Nothing worth mentioning except for the time you attempted to make me into a mindless love slave!" Archerko conjured a wall of spinning blades to block and dice the stalactites while closing the gap between her and the earth-mage.

"But I just wanted to savor you more! You were really delicious back there. I can still taste the hot flavor of your armpit on this tongue. So did Louise get to do you?" The secretary launched herself into the air by having a pillar push her up from the ground to vault her away from Archerko.

"Eh?" Kirche and Colbert screamed.

"Uwah!" Louise cried. "T-that's not something you ask in public you perverts!" The pink-haired mage began firing energy blasts at Fouquet. Unfortunately Archerko was closer to getting hit more than the secretary because she was nearer to Louise.

"Watch where you're casting! Concentrate on your own opponent!" Archerko flailed angrily at Louise for she almost got her head taken off due a friendly fire.

"I- Is it true my lady? Did you taste someone else?" Colbert sounded brokenhearted. "No matter… I shall kill you, you harlot!" Colbert released a ray of blue flame with both of his hands aimed at Archerko.

"Broken Phantasm!" It took Archerko no time at all to project the bow and the caladbolg II to counter the stream of flame. The spiral and twisting motion easily punctured through the ray and could've punched a hole through Colbert's stomach if he didn't dodge it at the last second.

"Look out!" Bazett's voice called to them from above.

Archerko quickly looked up and saw the enforcer riding the golem's dismembered hand. For some reason she probably managed to win a limb in midair collision but still get caught by the swing. Archerko leaped backwards to dodge the boulder of fist Bazett was riding.

"Sorry. I mistimed that but I think I have him now!" Bazett brushed off that experience like it was nothing and dashed to meet her giant enemy again.

"Y-yeah…" Archerko felt her sweat drip from her cheeks. She wondered what was going to kill her: Fouquet or her own teammates. "Eh?" Archerko finally noticed her opponent standing a few feet in front of her. "I- Is that?"

"This is what you get for not taking me seriously. With this mighty Staff of Destruction I will completely destroy you!" Fouquet was holding the Staff of Destruction with both of her arms.

"That's the Staff of Destruction?" Archerko screamed in surprise. "That looks incredibly similar to what I call a bazooka!" What was called as Staff of Destruction was actually a World War Two style rocket launcher. Archerko finally understood how that staff managed to kill a dragon in one blow. Heck it could kill two in one blow in the right circumstance.

"I already have one of your limbs, give up!" Bazett lured the golem to go for another smash. However, the golem bent over and swept the floor with its remaining arm. The enforcer easily jumped over the sweep like a child on a jumping rope. Then before the golem could retrieve its arm Bazett rushed and jumped on the visible platform on the golem's bent knee. Then using the rough outline of the giant she scaled its body until she reached its neck. "Hiyah!" She roared as she delivered a powerful roundhouse kick which was amplified with the rune on her boots. Half of golem's face immediately disintegrated as it fell off-balanced.

"Now die!" The secretary used all of her strength to wave her new staff.

The place went silent as the gentle breeze that staff created dissipated. It seemed like everyone was eager to find out what would happen especially the four mages (Louise, Tabitha, Kirche, and Colbert). They waited for about ten seconds before realizing that nothing was going to happen.

"T-the staff is it broken?" Kirche worriedly asked. She wondered if the most powerful artifact in the world was broken because of their fights.

"N-no I'm sure I only need to chant the spells!" Fouquet raised it again in an attempt for another swing. "Rock Barrage!" She shouted as she waved the 'staff' for a second time. "Compact Earth Bullets!" For the third time. "Avalanche!" The fourth time. "Hyah!" In her frustration she threw the 'staff' at the uninterested familiar in front of her.

"H-Hwoah that's dangerous!" Archerko skillfully caught the bazooka in her arms.

"Take this! And this! And this!" The secretary began throwing heavy metallic objects which were shaped like half an egg.

"Hey you idiot be careful with these!" Archerko caught all three of the rocket bearings.

"I'm done over here need help?" Bazett offered her assistance to Archerko and the three mages who were still occupied in their battles. Behind her was a broken golem lying on the ground with only a leg and an arm remaining.

"It's okay, I'm good." Archerko replied. "Bazett behind you!" The familiar noticed the golem struggle to a crawl and reach for Bazett. The counter-counter-guardian quickly loaded one of the rockets into the bazooka and blasted its head and upper torso clean off.

Bazett turned behind her to see the Golem finally degraded into a mess of boulders, clay and rubble. "In my defense, that golem would never have reached me." She said.

"S-so that's how it's used." Fouquet was in awe with the destructive power the weapon displayed. The tough outer skin of the golem that resisted even the strongest spells was easily reduced to garbage.

"What destructive power!" Kirche whose bandage was starting to fall off due to all the dodging she was doing was speechless.

"H-hey this is not time to be spacing out!" This time it was Louise who scolded Kirche before she kicked the tanned mage away from the path of a flaming arrow.

Tabitha charged in with her staff ready to swing. "Splash." She muttered as she swung her staff upwards. A puddle appeared beneath Colbert and the mud beneath him began to bubble. The square class fire mage jumped back in surprise as bubbles rose from the puddle he was on. Each of the bubbles popped with extreme force that the air around them were visibly displaced.

Colbert conjured a ball of blue flame in his right hand but this time, with a flick of his wrist he created a powerful spin on the ball which increased every second. "Flame Tornado!" He casted a vortex of blue flame that threatened to engulf the three.

"I won't let you!" Louise stepped in between Tabitha and Colbert and casted her own curse. A white ray of light erupted from her wand and entered the tornado's vortex. The blast caught Colbert right on the chest and he was sent flying. He dropped unconscious a few feet next to Fouquet who looked in horror and despair as her final pawn was taken out.

"H-how can…" The secretary was lost on how three students manage to take out the man who took entirety of the academy's defense under his mercy.

"Professor Colbert!" Louise hurried to check on her opponent to see if she delivered a fatal blow. Thankfully the professor was still breathing and was only knocked out. With an angry expression on her face she slowly turned to the Crumbling Dirt with her wand raised. "Don't you ever make me do something like that again!" She shouted.

"It looks like it's one on five." Archerko stepped forward hoping to accept Fouquet's surrender. "And don't forget I still have the 'Staff of Destruction'" She felt silly for saying that, knowing that what she was holding was neither magical nor a staff but a bazooka.

Fouquet leaped backwards to make a gap between her and the group pursuing her. Then she grabbed the bag of stolen goods she had hanging on her back. "I'm sorry but Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt does not give up so easily until all her cards are used." She said with a smile.

Archerko frowned. She didn't know what else could be there in that bag of artifacts. The supposedly strongest artifact is already in her hands what else could the secretary pull out that could surprise them? "You're bluffing." Archerko grinned hoping to intimidate the woman off her plans.

"I am not sure what this does but seeing that I have no longer anything to lose then allow me to try this!" The green-haired mage pulled out a small object in her bag. It was the card she took , along with the Staff of Destruction. "Mystic Card of the Skies!"

Bazett was eager to see what the card does while she closely observed Fouquet. "Wait… that's!" Bazett shrieked after seeing the design on the card. She was all too familiar with that picture and that design for in fact she was once in charge of collecting them in her world. "That's a Servant Class Card!" She shouted as her face filled with surprise.

"What?" Archerko gasped as she turned to Bazett. She heard stories from Bazett about what a Servant Class Card was. "If that's true then…" Archerko started sprinting towards Fouquet. "Drop that you idiot! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Archerko!" Louise reached for Archerko's back hoping to pull her back but it was too late for the familiar was already yards away from her.

Before Archerko reached Fouquet the card and the area she was standing on erupted with a bright purple light. The force of the eruption even pushed Archerko back to the group almost toppling Louise with her if she didn't roll to avoid her fast enough.

"T-this power! This is amazing!" Longueville felt ecstatic as the rush of mana from the card enter her and surround her whole body. "So I did find something worthwhile in there!"

"Stop it Miss Longueville you won't restore your noble pass this way!" Kirche pleaded.

"What do you pampered children know? I was robbed of my nobility and had to live the life of a lowly peasant! Now…uh-ugh… what is this?" Longueville staggered as she noticed a gradual change in her body. Her skinned started to wrinkle and her green hair started to lose its color. More than that she also felt her body chemistry get altered by the card. In short, not only was her physical appearance changing but her gender was also transforming.

"Tch it's too late. The card has already been activated and already synchronized with her circuits." Bazett closed her hand in a fist and prepared a fighting stance. She knew that Fouquet has already stepped outside the boundary.

"Don't tell me that… she's changing into an epic spirit?" Archerko covered her face with her arm to block the strong wind Fouquet's transformation process is blowing at them.

"It appears that's the case." Bazett nodded.

"What's happening here? Where's Fouquet?" After minutes of preparations, the principal, a couple of Square Class Mages and some Academy Cards finally reached the battle scene. "Ugh what in oblivion is that?" He immediately noticed the sinister aura rampaging at them from the slowly transforming Fouquet.

"That's her." Archerko pointed at the ball of purple light in front of them.

"That's…" The old man was speechless for he has never seen something like this his entire life.

"Bazett what Class Card was she holding?" Archerko asked Bazett, wondering what they will have to fight.

"I'm not sure but we'll find out soon enough." Bazett replied as the light began to fade.

After one more explosion of violent purple light someone completely different stood in the middle of a small crater. The person looked nothing like Fouquet. The person was now a man, an old man with grayish black hair and a black robe. In his hand was a book that emanated sinister mana.

"So it's a caster class!" Bazett shouted.

"Guwahhh!" The man shouted in rage as he raised his hand and the book. He didn't look like he was ready to reason or to talk. In fact it looked like there was nothing in his mind but fury and chaos.

Almost immediately after the man waved his arms, an army of ghouls and demons appeared around everyone. They were vast and while all of them had sharp fangs and claws, they came in different variety. Flying ghouls invaded the sky while demons ranging from as small as a rat to as big as the golem Bazett beat crept on the grounds and jumped on the trees.

"Ugh I don't remember this hero!" Archerko cried. The Caster she remembered was a shy girl who would kill for her master. Also, comparing Medea's army of skeletons to this army of monsters, she wasn't sure on who'd to route for.

"Miss Valliere! Miss Archerko! It appears you owe us some explanation!" The principal approached the group as the guards and the mages try to keep the creatures at bay with spells and weapons.

"I'm sorry sir but it doesn't look like we have the time for that!" Archerko shouted as she unsheathed Derflinger and charged at one of the monsters. She sliced at the human sized demon with an upward diagonal slice cutting it from the left side of its waist to its right shoulder. "That's weird I expected you to just dispel the magic inside them." She said to Derflinger.

"I'm sorry partner but it seems that they're more physical than magical." Derflinger apologized.

"Hyah!" Bazett roared as she plowed through a small platoon with her fists. Using her rune to amplify her strength she easily crushed the bodies of some of the smaller demons.

"They're not very strong!" Kirche burned some with her spells. Behind her was Tabitha who was taking on an entire squadron of small demons with her icicle spikes.

"Ei!" Louise shouted as she took the head of one of the bigger human sized demon. The demon fell lifeless on the ground as blood spilled from its severed corpse. "T-this is just…"

The old man too was taking his share of the fight. "Where did these monsters came from?" He asked frantically while he blasted a few of the monsters with his wind magic. As a square class wind mage he was easily able to create small hurricanes to take on many of the small to human sized demons.

"Watch out!" Archerko called to Bazett as the hand of a giant demon twice the size of the golem from before whipped at her.

The enforcer easily avoided the attack by bending her knees to the point where she was almost touching the ground. Then using that maneuver to increase her momentum she kicked on the ground with full force to charge at the demon. A fully charged spinning flying kick allowed her to destroy the demon's leg and pulled it to the ground where she easily crushed its face with a runed jumping downward straight punch.

"This isn't good, if this keeps up," Bazett took a big breath. That was her second giant monstrosity and she didn't know if she would be able to take much more of them. Unfortunately, in front of them were four more of that kind and Bazett could only sigh in disbelief.

"Stand back and take a breather." Archerko gently pushed Bazett backed as she summoned her bow Frozen Fantasy. Inside her hand four arrows appeared, these are the arrows used to kill the monster called Grendel. "Four Way Hrunting!" She fired off four arrows at the four demons. A small sonic boom knocked Archerko backwards while her arrows flew at the demons at Mach 3. The parts the demons were hit were completely obliterated before they fell on the floor lifeless.

"Those two are really impressive!" The old man was astounded by the performance of the two girls.

"Sir get back!" One of the square class mages took out a demon which lunged at the principal like a panther with a fire ball.

"Grahh!" The principal was shocked to be splattered with so much demon blood. He realized then that he was only a few inches from meeting his creator.

"This won't get us anywhere we need to take down caster himself!" Bazett suggested right after she took down yet another human-sized demon. "Where is he?" She surveyed her surroundings to look for the master behind all these destruction. The servant responsible for summoning the horde of monsters was nowhere near them. Beyond the monsters was the sea and to her surprise it was there that she saw a floating, robed creature. "He's there!" She pointed before dodging a spear which was thrown by one of the speared flying demons.

"That bastard got that far without us noticing?" Archerko groaned. She would use a Hrunting to take him down but she was currently taking on five glaive-wielding monsters. "Is it just me or are they beginning to use weapons?"

"I think these things are capable of adapting to the battlefield!" The principal summoned relentless gusts to ward off the demons from his students.

"Ei!" Louse punctured a hole through a hammer wielding demon charging towards her. She was beginning to breathe heavily and could barely keep her wand up.

"Louise!" Archerko jumped to her master's side. "Are you okay?" She was worried to see that look of exhaustion on Louise's face. It was not like her condition before, she knew that her master didn't lack mana but rather she just lacked the physical energy to continue this fight. She was after all a mage and didn't have a warrior's stamina.

"I- I can still fight." Louise said this very bravely.

Archerko looked at Louise and knew instantly that she was lying. However she would not allow Louise's confidence to be broken here. There was only one thing she can do to help and that's to take down caster before this battle stretches out.

"Bazett! Tabitha cover me!" Archerko requested. She jumped on a nearby tree with her bow in her hands. Three demons leapt to take her down and a flying class demon swept swiftly to spear her off the tree but they were intercepted.

"Leave it to me!" Said Bazett as she landed on the ground after intercepting the three demons in mid-air with a flying kick combo.

"Um" Tabitha just silently nodded as she subconsciously made a cool pose after freezing the wings of the demon aiming Archerko.

"Thank you," Archerko said this playfully as she pulled hard on the string of her bow. "Hrunting!" She roared just as she released the string with all her might. The tree branch she was standing on could not withstand the force of the recoil and broke leaving Archerko to drop on the ground on her bottom.

The speed of this Hrunting reached its full power of Mach 10 which caused a recreation of Moses' famous sea splitting miracle. The spin on the arrow was so powerful that some of the monsters that got in the way just disappeared into oblivion and some of the flying monsters that were not even in the arrow's path got caught up and the spin and got crushed.

A huge explosion that mimicked that of a small nuclear charge caused tsunami sized waves in the once peaceful ocean. The explosion was so loud that the academy walls shook and some tower-tips were toppled. Students were alarmed and many started going out of the academy to check what was happening.

Everybody covered their eyes to protect them from the intense light the explosion caused. All of them expected everything to be over after such an attack. Bazett was the first to open her eyes and witness the result of Archerko's hrunting. "Tch…" She clicked her tongue.

"D-did I get him?" Archerko who fell on the ground just got up from a crawl wondering if she was successful.

"Ugh… you would've but you were a second too late!" Bazett growled in disappointment. She was mad not at Archerko but at herself for she failed to realize the truth about the monsters. From the start only a few platoons were attacking them when there were enough demons there take down a small country.

Archerko immediately found out why her attack failed. Just as her arrow reach her target hundreds of monsters that were summoned from both land and sea gathered to block the arrow. Now all of those monsters are surrounding Caster to act as barrier of demonic mass. But it was more than just that, a barrier would be such a wasteful thing to do using a battalion of demons, she noticed the mass take shape of a single creature with Caster in its center. It was a huge monster of epical proportions the size of a quarter of the Academy. It was so big that a hundred of those giant demons and that golem from before can be fit inside and still have room for a jumbo jet to land on. It looked like a spikey giant sperm whale that could sprout out tentacles from every inch of its body. There was a name for monsters like this but that was long ago, and it was leviathan.

"T-that's…" Louise's eyes widened in fear. It was her first time to encounter such malevolent and colossal monstrosity.

One of Leviathan's tentacles stretched out until it could reach the people in land. Without warning the monster sent its tentacle to sweep everybody dead.

The square class mages took the front line bravely. "Everybody! Barrier!" The mage commander shouted and ordered his men to summon a circular barrier to protect everyone.

"You fools!" Archerko cried as she begged for the mages to retreat.

The tentacle easily broke through the barrier like hammer on fragile glass. Most of the mages that participated in the barrier perished immediately as the tentacle brushed the land.

Archerko took Louise, carried her like a princess and jumped over the tentacle to dodge it. Bazett used her rune to smash the ground to create a small bunker where she and the principal ducked in to escape the lashing monstrosity. Tabitha summoned her familiar to fly her over the tentacle and took Kirche with her.

"W-what's that monster?" One of the students who witnessed the mage squadron perish squealed. It was a chain reaction, most of the first years, second years and third years began running back inside the academy for their lives. This was a big mistake for now the monster has realized that he had other possible targets other than just Archerko and friends.

Some tendrils spiked from the monsters body and pierced holes in the Academy Outer Walls. Then like trained snakes catching their prey they snatched random students from the academy and forcefully pulled them out into the sea.

"What is it doing? My students!" The principal who just recovered from the shock screamed as he saw his students get helplessly dragged by the Leviathan.

The monster started pulling in the students into its gelatinous body. Everyone watched in horror and despair as seven of the students disappeared into the monsters body.

"It's trying to increase its mass by devouring people!" Cried Archerko as she landed on a hill with Louise in her hands.

"We need to stop it before it consumes everyone!" Bazett said.

The group tried to think of ways to bring this giant fish down but they may not have enough time. Once more the monster carried one of its giant tentacles and this time used it to crush the walls to create an opening.

"We need to drive it away!" The principal said.

"Hrunting!" Archerko fired another one of her Mach 10 arrows at the center of the monster. Once again an intense explosion rocked the land and sea. In the wake of the explosion was a huge hole in the monster's stomach. "Take that!" Archerko cheered. Her smile quickly faded however as the monster's wound regenerated instantly.

"What the hell!" Kirche cried. "Is that thing immortal?" She asked as she and Tabitha fly away from the leviathan into a safer distance.

"Instant regeneration…" Bazett groaned.

"There are only three ways to beat it then. First is that we completely obliterate it, second is that we destroy Caster in its core and the third is that we use a conceptual weapon that can bypass its regeneration." Archerko counted.

The monster once again sent its tendrils to look for victims inside the compromised Academy. This time about forty tendrils were dispatched to take forty people.

"No!" The old man cried as he stretched his arms as if to reach for the tendrils.

"Hrunting!" Archerko fired off a weaker version of her Hrunting this time for the sole purpose of cutting the tendrils. The spin and force were enough to severe all the tendrils momentarily even though every one of them regenerated in the Leviathan's body. "We have to take it somewhere or everyone in the Academy will die. Is there a boat I can use?" She asked the old man.

"There are two near here but what good will that do?" The old man replied pointing the way to the boat's direction.

"Thanks!" Archerko nodded confidently as she sprinted towards that direction.

"I'm coming!" Louise pulled on Archerko.

"But Louise you're…" Archerko tried to shrug off Louise but the mage gripped tight on the servant's undershirt.

"I am not about to let you go into another fight alone again! I won't let that happen again!" Louse was almost in tears as she tried to force Archerko to take her.

"F-fine…" Archerko could not bear to look at that crying face. "We don't have the time to argue let's go!" She carried Louise on her back as she ran and leaped towards the boat.

"I'm coming as well." Bazett sprinted to catch up to the two but something gripped her ankle.

Bazett looked down to see who it was. To her surprise it was Professor Colbert who Louise knocked out a while ago. Was he still in the spell of Longueville?" Let go of me!" Bazett commanded while trying her best not to kick the professor in the face.

"Take me with you!" Colbert begged. "I- I'm partly to blame for this! I cannot forgive myself for the loss of my students!" Colbert regained his self from the love potion's effects.

"… It can't be helped then. Everyone please try your best to keep that thing at bay while we approach it!" She said to the principal as she picked up the fallen professor on her shoulder and started running with him.

Two boats were quickly dispatched to the monster with the aim of getting close enough to do some damage. Or at least that was what everyone thought Archerko's plan was.

"We're going too slowly!" Bazett complained. She was worried that everyone would be fish food when they finally arrive there.

"Oh don't worry… I am sure the principal is doing his best right now." Colbert said this with a smile on his face. Bazett looked at the beached to be surprised to see the principal in the edge of the water with his staff raised high.

"You monster! I won't let you harm any more of my students!" Using every bit of mana he had he destroyed all forty tendrils going the academy's way with a class three tornado.

"That old man was that strong?" Archerko felt bad for underestimating the old wizard.

"That old man is the principal of the school that produced the best mages." Colbert bragged. He had every faith in the principal's abilities.

"Everyone look out!" Louise was first to notice a couple of tendrils going their way. It was probably its defense mechanism against invaders.

Archerko raised her hand high and summoned a dozen of weapons to her aid. Those weapons met the tendrils and effectively cut them to pieces. The tendrils regenerated and this time broke all the weapons into shards but another barrage of the same weapons appeared by Archerko's will and once again diced the tendrils.

"What is that mage craft?" Colbert asked in astonishment. It was the first time he saw a kind of magic that allowed someone to instantly summon objects without using anything.

"It's hard to explain." Archerko replied. "We're getting closer, everyone please cover me! I am the bone of my sword!" With a bow and the caladbolg in her hand she shot a spiral sword through the monster's soft covering. This allowed them more time to approach the Leviathan.

"That's a little bit to ask right now!" Bazett complained for the first time. Fighting on water is not really her specialty for she was used to putting all her weight on the ground to maximize the damage.

"Fire tornado!" Colbert raised both of his hands and evaporated the tentacles and tendrils going for them.

"Steel is my body and fire is my blood… I have created over a thousand blades!" A tentacle swept to hit Archerko off the boat but she managed to jump over it then on it. "Take care of Louise for me please!" Archerko pleaded to Bazett as she used to tentacle as a bridge to get nearer the monster.

"Archerko you reckless idiot!" Louise cried as she watched Archerko cross that wobbly, flabby appendage.

"Unknown to death! Nor known to life!" The tentacle she was on whipped upwards to shrug her off like a bear warding off bees. The familiar used that upward force to jump further and reach a footing near the monster's head.

"Is she going to try to use that Hrunting of hers from directly above that monster!" Bazett wondered as she knocked off a bunch of tendrils approaching the three of them.

"Have withstood pain to create many weapons yet these hands will never hold anything!" She reached the end of her chant as she struggled to reach the top. "_Oh shit!_" She thought to herself as she felt tendrils tie over her ankles, arms and legs.

"She got caught!" Colbert screamed as he watched Archerko's limbs get spread as the tendrils wrap around her.

A flash of light cut through the tendrils and freed the familiar to continue her chant. She looked down to see who she needed to thank for that and saw a pink-haired mage with a worried look on her face whose wand was smoking after just casting a spell. "Thank you Louise." She smiled. "So as I pray…" She gritted her teeth as she reach the top of the giant. "Unlimited Blade Works!"

Archerko's roar echoed and reached even the Academy. Flames appeared near the sea's shores and stretched half a kilometer past the beast in the ocean. Those flames created a circular barrier and that barrier was to be the boundary field for what was to be the new battle field. To the eyes of the people outside that field, the monster and the three disappeared from reality. There literally was no trace of the monster and the three left.

"W-what happened?" Kirche asked the principal who she expected to have more knowledge about these things.

"I- I don't know." The principal regretted that he had no answer to give to his precious student.

"Louise!" Kirche shouted at the sea hoping that it will spit her friend back to her.

Meanwhile inside the boundary field was a completely different world. The world was dyed in red while cogs rotated both in the skies and the ground. There was no water even though they were just in the ocean and the place was literally covered in different varieties of blades and weapons.

"Welcome to my world monster!" Archerko grinned as she summoned a golden sword in her hand. "Say hello to Caliburn!" She stabbed the sword deep into the monster's back and fired a golden blast inside. The blast was so strong that it carved a hole to its center where Caster resided. Archerko prepared to fire of another blast but as before tendrils acted as a new flesh and covered the hole. That part also extended and became a new tentacle that punched Archerko off the monster's back.

Archerko was sent flying and if she wasn't a counter-counter-guardian her head would've flown off thanks to that blow. She made consecutive backflips in midair to reduce the impact of her fall as she landed beside the three other people with her. Two of them were at loss on what Archerko just did while one of them was more 'interested' than speechless.

"A reality marble? So your plan was to contain this monster here while the four of us think of how to destroy it?" Bazett asked.

"W-what is this place?" Colbert got off the boat seeing that it's already useless since they're now on solid ground.

"I'll explain later, let's concentrate on this guy first." Archerko didn't give a proper reply.

Louise looked at Archerko with hopeful eyes. Truly she did not know the true capabilities of her familiar. The one who she thought as to be a mere commoner has not only shown everybody immense physical feats but now has even defied every sense of logic by creating this world. She knew that she could not allow herself to weaken in front of her familiar. "Let's go!" She said cheerfully as if she was motivating Archerko to push on harder.

"Okay!" Inside her reality marble Archerko's tracing speed doubles to almost a quarter of a millisecond. With a wave of her hands three phantasmal swords were conjured in front of her. These swords were the caliburn, the durandal and the gram. She jumped and grabbed two of those swords and kicked the other one upwards towards her opponent. She used both swords in her hands, the durandal and the caliburn to fire off two consecutive prana blasts that destroyed the outer covering of the monster and exposed Caster. Then she caught Gram in midair and with it fired off another prana blast with the intention of taking out the servant inside that monstrosity.

Archerko's speed could not match the regeneration speed of the leviathan. Before the ray of light could reach Caster, another wall of gelatinous tendrils covered the humongous hole the familiar made.

"Damn it! That regeneration speed is just too damn fast! Don't you have a conceptual weapon that can stop that?" Bazett shouted at Archerko.

"I know of some conceptual weapons that can but I can't copy their abilities! If it tried to, that weapon will deal as much damage as the original would but its regeneration capabilities will not be impaired!" Archerko replied after she landed on the ground.

"Sorry I can't be much help partner." Derflinger apologized from inside his sheath.

"Don't blame yourself this thing is just in a whole new level." Archerko replied to Derflinger's self-pity.

"We'll at least try!" Colbert, with his wand and his hands summoned a giant ball of blue flame and flung it crashing on the monster's face.

Archerko used that fireball as an opening move and immediately prepared her Hrunting. Even though the arrow was released so much later than the spell, its speed of Mach 10 was so fast that it would've been no different if they were released at the same time and if Colbert released his fireball from point blank. This time the monster jolted backwards and collapsed under itself.

"It's down! We must be dealing more damage than we knew!" Archerko gathered a new set of phantasmal blades as she charged at the monster. If it truly was damaged enough for it to collapse then a direct hit from both the Caliburn and the Gram should be devastating.

"Go!" Colbert collapsed on the floor for he had no more energy left. All he could do was hope that their combo was enough to deal the decisive blow on the Leviathan.

"Be destroyed by golden light you monster!" Archerko roared as she began to gather prana around the two blades. "Gahk!" Blood came out of her mouth as felt a tendril penetrate her abdomen from behind her. Her eagerness to kill the monster allowed her senses to be blindsided by the tendril that drilled through her belly. The undershirt she was wearing were ripped off and now she was only wearing her bra and her shorts.

"Archerko!" Louise cried as she watched her precious familiar get impaled.

The familiar dropped 20 feet to the ground where she was caught safely by Bazett. Archerko was still alive and conscious but she was losing blood very rapidly. Bazett doubled back and dragged Colbert with her along with Archerko on her shoulder. The Leviathan too began to recover.

"A-Archerko!" Louise crawled to her precious' side. Her familiar was bleeding from her belly and from her mouth. She was extremely worried.

"It's not a fatal wound she'll live." Bazett calmed Louise down. The enforcer noticed the place where Archerko was hit and it was easy to see that no important organ was hit.

"Damn it! We were so close!" Bazett clenched her fist. She was disappointed that they didn't manage to end it there but mostly she was disappointed that she was now as useless as a mannequin against this enemy. It was truly unfortunate that her ultimate ability is sealed against this kind of foe that doesn't have an ultimate or special move.

"We might still have one chance." Colbert said weakly as he tried to sit up. "You still haven't summoned a familiar Miss Bazett. I say we put our hopes unto whatever you'll summon."

"That's a very big gamble. The chance that I'll summon something that can change the tide to our favor I say is a million to one." Bazett stood up and removed her glove which was ruined by a tendril attack when she saved Archerko from falling. "But it's better than nothing. Give me the instructions!"

"Look out here it comes!" Louise cried out as she hugged Archerko to protect her from the rain of tendrils and tentacles coming their way.

"Damn it! It won't let us summon!" Colbert cried in anguish as he waited for a tendril to pierce his spine.

Dozens of blades levitated from the ground and blocked the tendrils. They were the blades that naturally existed in the Reality Marble and they will act as their creator wills them.

"I can at least still do this…" Archerko slowly got up to her feet as she commanded an armada of blades to crush unto the monster. Each blade could not pierce through the Leviathan but her aim was to buy time for Bazett to do her familiar-summoning. "It's my turn to buy you time." She grinned as she slowly walked forward to engage the monster once more.

"You stupid familiar you're hurt and bleeding you can't fight him now!" Louise scolded her familiar. She knew that if Archerko would receive another direct attack she might not survive it again.

"Don't worry Louise I… ah!" The injuries she sustained allowed her to be blindsided once again by Caster's tendrils. She was pulled by her feet and was hanged upside down in front of the monster's head.

"My name is Bazett Fraga McRemitz. Pentagon of the five elemental powers, Heed my summoning... and bring forth...my familiar!" Bazett started the chant as instructed by Colbert.

A bulge appeared on what looked like the monster's forehead and a figure in the shape of Caster's original body appeared. Its face was smiling as one of its fingers stretched to touch Archerko's face as tendrils wrapped around her waist to pull her closer to the creature.

"You piece of shit! Is this how you get your kicks you monster!" Archerko raised her hand forward to command her weapons to continually attack the monster's forehead with a barrage.

A bright light filled the area where Bazett was standing before a hole in space appeared in front of her. From the hole something dropped on the ground moaning in pain.

"Is that?" Bazett pointed at what just rolled down from the hole. She had a dumbfounded look on her face for what she summoned wasn't quite she expected.

"Holy… well I guess that kind of familiar is common these days. Well not really since it's only you and Louise recently." Colbert too was shocked with the result.

"Ow! Ow!" The newly summoned being moaned as it scratched its back in pain. "What the f… oh it's you Bazett." The familiar turned out to be a man with spikey blue hair. He waved at Bazett with a groan and a smile on his face. "What did you do and where the hell are we?"

"You know me?" Bazett was surprised that this familiar was calling her by her first name and as if they had been together before.

"I know you? Heck I was your servant in the Holy Grail war before your arm got chopped clean off!" Lancer replied. "Wait isn't this…"

"Archerko!" Louise raised her wand to try and help Archerko whose hands were already completely bound by the Leviathan's tendrils. "Ei!" She tried to fire off an energy blast but she was already depleted.

The part of the monster which had the shape of caster pulled Archerko closer and placed its tentacles to creep all over her body.

"T-this bastard is!" Archerko gasped as she realized what the giant was doing.

"Damn it! It's trying to molest her to steal her mana!" Bazett roared in anger.

"Miss Bazett we're not yet finished! Hurry and make the contract with your familiar!" Colbert pointed at the blue haired man.

Bazett nodded and held the man by his chin. "My name is Bazett Fraga McRemitz. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar."

"Contract? Familiar? What a…" Before he could continue asking, Bazett's lips touched his to seal the contract.

"Now my familiar go save Archerko and destroy that monster!" Bazett commanded. She did not know how her new familiar could beat that monster but it sure is worth a try.

"Did you say Archerko?"! The spiky-blue-haired man turned his eyes on the monster and saw how it started to undo the counter-counter-guardian's shorts. "This mother fucker! You dare soil my lady with your gruesome and slimy tentacles! That's my job! Lancer!" With an angry roar Lancer's Hawaiian vest ripped and his clothes transformed into a blue tight fitting armor which he normally used for fighting. In his hand appeared a spear of blood red.

"Get away from me you perverted monster!" Archerko tried to kick off the tentacles that were pulling her shorts down but she was already too weak to offer any sort of worthwhile resistance. "Wait what did I just hear?" She asked herself as the word 'lancer' just reached her brain.

"Now get your hands off my goddess! Gaebolga!" Lancer leaped the height of twenty-feet in one jump then placed all his strength he had in his right arm to throw a devastating javelin toss with his Gaebolg. The flying red spear of death hit the monster's forehead and pierced to its entirety. Like the hrunting, it created a very powerful explosion that left Caster exposed.

"What amazing power!" Colbert felt that nothing was going to surprise him more after Archerko's amazing abilities but just now someone did just that.

"Be careful that thing regenerates instantly!" Bazett warned her familiar of the Leviathan's abilities.

Lancer caught his 'goddess' from midair and safely landed on the ground. "The wounds I cause will not simply heal. Unless you can reincarnate, you better be prepared for what you did you monster!" Lancer said angrily as he laid Archerko on the ground. "I won't be gone long my love." He touched the girl's lips before leaping once again towards the now exposed Caster.

"It's not regenerating…" Bazett observed the tendrils which before immediately covered any wound the monster received now sway lifelessly around the monster's body.

Lancer retrieved his spear from the spot it pierced the monster then confronted Caster directly. "You look like one of those geeks who will never get a girl. No wonder you had to resort to using those slimy tentacles." Lancer insulted his prey as he stanced himself for the killing blow. "Gaebolga!"

"Grahh!" Caster too his book in a last attempt to summon something to his aid. However he felt something pass his heart even before the man in front of him moved. The spear pierced his heart and he could do nothing except fall from the monster from which he hid.

"Of all the creatures in this world… of all the servants and the people in our world… of all the random things in the other world… she summoned you…" Archerko who was finally back to her feet was now wearing Bazett's armor to cover her top while Bazett still had an undershirt.

"Don't be like that!" Lancer jumped off as soon as the monster's body disappeared and went to Archerko. "I know you're happy to see me just admit it."

"Who's happy to see you moron?" Archerko kicked Lancer directly where it would hurt a man the most. His balls.

"Grahh!" Lancer closed his legs and groaned in pain as he fell to his knees. "You're as tsun as ever!"

"Get away from me!" Archerko started walking away from the blue-haired man.

"Come on I know you love me!" Lancer continued to pursue the silver-haired beauty.

"Wait what is this about?" Louise went in between the two.

"Sorry young miss but please don't get between me and my soon-to-be wife." Lancer requested as he continued to follow Archerko.

"I- I won't allow that! For you see… she's already mine!" Louise screamed on the top of her lungs with a flustered face.

"Eh!" Lancer shouted. "Is this true Archerko? H-how can you betray me!"

"We never had anything to betray!" Archerko retorted while angrily pointing at Lancer.

"Y-you dirty familiar after that promise we made last night you plan on betraying me now?" Louise grabbed her familiar by the hair.

"Gah!" Archerko squealed in pain as she felt her hair get pulled from her scalp.

While they shouted at each other the gears of the reality marble started to crumble and the blades that pierced the ground started to break into shards.

"Oh no I can no longer sustain my Reality Marble everyone head for the boats!" Archerko and Louise took the boat they used while Lancer reluctantly went with Bazett on the other boat.

"Where's the professor!" Louise wailed frantically as she noticed the absence of Professor Colbert.

"I'm here!" The professor appeared with Miss Longueville unconscious in her arms.

"T-that's… Professor are you still…" Louise worriedly asked as she remembered that Colbert was the victim of the banned love potion.

"No I'm not. But we can't just leave her alone." He said as he rode on the boat Louise and Archerko were.

Just as soon as Colbert got on the boat the boundary field crumbled and they were again on a now calm and peaceful sea not too far from the Academy. The shore was covered in black and white which were the traditional colors of the academy uniforms. Everyone was amazed, except Lancer and Archerko, on how that world just disappeared after all that happened. The monster too now existed nowhere and Miss Fouquet is alive in their arms. None of them still had the strength to paddle so they allowed the waves to take them while the enjoyed the seagulls fly over them.

Fouquet's chest glowed a yellow light as she rested between Archerko and Colbert. The team gasped and got ready for another fight for a moment until a card floated from where the glow was. The card levitated in front of Archerko and fell on her lap.

"It seems that it calmed down." Archerko said as she examined the Caster Card that she was now holding.

"Look there they are!" A familiar voice screamed at them from above. They looked up to see Kirche riding with Tabitha on Tabitha's blue dragon.

"We're back please ask the principal for some assistance! I don't think we still have the strength to paddle our way back to shore!" Louise asked.

While Louise and Colbert talked to the two people on the dragon Archerko and Bazett exchanged looks. Archerko smiled and threw the class card at the enforcer which the latter caught.

"You're giving it to me?" Bazett asked.

"It's payment for being a good body guard." Archerko replied and winked.

"Now can someone please tell me what this is all about?" Lancer who was over his obsession for Archerko for now hoped someone could explain to him why he got thrown in a Reality Marble.

"Oh and that's also a bribe." Archerko followed up.

"A bribe?" Bazett wondered.

"Make sure your familiar doesn't get three feet near me." Archerko said coldly.

"Don't say that we used to watch movies together!" Lancer cried.

"Shut up!" They continued bickering until they finally reached the shore where everyone greeted them. It was not all happy for the students that were absorbed by the monster never returned and they had to answer the demands of the friends of those students who were against letting Miss Longueville the person that caused all that live.


	6. Chapter 6

**Void Bladeworks**

**(A Zero no Tsukaima and Fate / Stay Night crossover)**

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><p>Disclaimer: Can i skip this disclaimer thingy? i'm getting boring of typing this .<p>

AN: thank you for all the reviews, keep em' coming it makes me happy~

Xanaris & Sacchin : well Archerko is a Familiar here not a servant so in ZnT i don't think it's possible

Zaralann : Why thank you =D

Mikune : I'm trying to fit more time for this so update can be more frequent

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><p>After the incident with Fouquet the Academy calmed down after a week of turmoil. A faction of students was angry at Archerko and the staff for saving Fouquet who indirectly caused seven students' deaths. Another faction believed that it was the honorable thing to do and that justice will not be earned just by letting Fouquet die.<p>

"Why must she be allowed the chance to live? Did she not kill seven of our friends?"

One of the first years whose sister was one of those who were absorbed by the Leviathan complained.

"Do you expect us to let someone else die just for the sake of your petty revenge?" Archerko replied harshly to the boy who was in the verge of tears.

"Your sister will not come back with the death of Miss Longueville. Her death will only serve to feed your nightmares!"

Several more criticisms like this were fired at Archerko and the others. However this is not the only argument. Some relatives of the departed victims demand someone to blame for their loss. Why was there a monster? Why was Longueville allowed to teach in the academy? Why were the guards so powerless against that monster? There were very many questions. The principal tried to answer them all but many were looking at Archerko and Louise for answers for they were the ones that defeated the creature.

"Archer!"

The familiar voice of a blue man called to Archerko who was walking in the campus. Today Archerko was wearing a frilly one piece dress that Louise also bought for her. It was mostly red with some white to serve as its outline. Its sleeves were decorated with frill and its V-shaped collar revealed little skin. This is truly the most modest thing Archerko has worn since she came to this world. She had a basket in one hand which contained a box in it.

"_Pretend that you don't hear him. He might walk away." _Archerko thought.

Since Lancer was summoned she had pretty irritating dreams about him which were pretty similar to the past. She did not know why she had these dreams but she didn't like it one bit. Dreams like that were not very special to her, she had similar dreams about Shirou and about Louise but for some reason every time she has a similar dream about Lancer she wakes up all sweaty and cold as if she just saw a ghost.

"Come on! Wait I get it, you're just playing hard to get." Lancer pranced beside Archerko. "Oh what is this?" He noticed the basket Archerko was carrying and picked up the box that was inside.

"W-wait!" Archerko tried to stop Lancer from opening the box but it was too late.

"Hwoah these are some delicious looking food."

Inside the box Lancer found a couple of the kingdom's delicacies. There were some roasted lamb meat, some sautéed fish and some of the 'Royal Salad' which the kitchen's chefs were very proud about.

"Did you cook these for me? Well say no more I am glad to eat them." The spiky-haired man gobbled up the boxed lunch almost instantly while Archerko's jaw dropped.

"Y-you idiot!"

After a huge slamming sound,Lancer found his face buried deeply on the concrete floor. While the back of his head immediately grew a red lump with a little help from Archerko's fists.

"N-nothing's left… this was Louise's lunch you imbecile! Ugh just get away from me!" Archerko started to sprint away hoping to lose Lancer in one of the campus' corners.

"This game again?" Lancer immediately sprinted to chase after his 'goddess'.

In a battle of speed and agility Lancer had always won against Archerko. While Archerko was running in full throttle forward she found Lancer beside her backpedaling. Now this doesn't mean that Archerko will lose against him in a real battle. If it was a battle of weaponry then Archerko truly had a distinct advantage.

"Just admit it already. Say you love me." Said Lancer while he followed Archerko easily.

"No!" Archerko screamed.

"Oh so you do love me! You just can't admit it!" Lancer cheered, depicting that 'no' as answer to 'admit it'.

"I meant no as in I have no feelings for you!" With a wave of Archerko's hand a huge lance appeared in front of her. "Second sin of the virgin goddess! Buster Orion!"

"I remember this! Now let's see how much your love for me has grown over the years!"

Lancer could not wait to accept that Noble Phantasm which power increases depending on how much the user loves his/her target.

That was the end of their confrontation. Why? Because Lancer waited for three hours for something to happen while standing hopefully in a corner. Archerko proceeded to Louise in the dorm room who was very mad that Archerko failed that one task she asked.

"Sorry Louise there was some… thing that attacked me."

Archerko replaced Lancer into an annoying porcupine in her imagination. That weird look on her face boggled Louise who raised an eyebrow at that comment.

Louise seriously wanted to ask more but she feared that it only will result to more weirdness. Also, she decided to be more lenient with her familiar since that night they shared and the day she saw Archerko's full capabilities.

"Archerko look at this." The pink-haired mage handed an envelope to her familiar.

The envelope looked very dignified. Archerko immediately knew that it was one of those invitations nobilities give out. But the question is- an invitation to what? More importantly, why is Louise giving it to her. Quite frankly the only nobles she knew well were Louise, Tabitha, Kirche and the Princess so it feels weird if that envelope was for her. She tried to open it but the seal was already opened so it means Louise have already read its contents.

"Hmm…" She hummed as she checked the envelopes content.

Inside was a letter folded neatly addressed to Louise. "Dear Miss Valliere…" Archerko decided to read it out loud in case Louise missed something.

"We would be very delighted if you would honor us with your princess for the annual Noble's Ball."

Archerko paused for a moment to look at Louise. "Isn't this one of those merry parties people your age love to go to? Why do you look so irritated?" She asked curiously. She noticed her master had her eyes closed with a frown the entire time she was reading.

"What exactly do you mean by 'your age'? Aren't we in that same age group?" Louise said with an irritated tone. "Read further."

"… Okay…"

Archerko gulped for a bit because that assumption that she and Louise are in the same age isn't entirely correct.

"Hmm let's see… It would be very pleasant if you would finally be able to bring a handsome man to escort and dance with you in the ball. I am sure everyone will be pleased to see you dancing with a dashing gentleman."

"Stop right there!"

Louise commanded as she snatched the letter away from her familiar's hands. "Every year these bastards invite me to a party with all the intention to make fun of me!" Louise tore the paper and the envelope that once contained it.

"Those bastards secretly laugh behind my back because I'm the only one without a partner standing at the sides while they danced."

"Uh… Louise if you hate it so much why don't you just boycott it?"

Archerko suggested a simple solution. She waved her hand in a shrugging gesture and in her mind she was thinking 'problem solved'.

"I can't… unlike you commoners we nobles have to attend meetings to maintain our reputation." Louise reasoned.

Archerko paused for a moment and said, "And what reputation is that?" That comment earned Archerko a pillow to the face.

"Shut up! I- I'm too busy with my studies bother with men! If I wasn't too busy I'm sure it would be easy to find me a good guy or two." Louise folded her arms while looking the other way.

"Did you just say 'or two'?" Archerko immediately noticed a big problem with that comment.

"S-shut up!" Louise threw another pillow flying at her familiar who caught it nicely this time.

"Sorry, sorry…" She threw the pillow back on the bed. She sensed how much Louise was seriously putting some thought into this and decided to talk about it seriously. "So what's your plan?"

"W-well I don't have any guy to take with me and the only one I have is…"

"Ah!" Archerko gasped out loudly. "I know, how about Professor Colbert?" She said the name of only person from the opposite sex that she was actually kind of close with.

"No!"

Louise screamed as she flailed wildly at Archerko.

"Do you want me to be a social outcast? I can't take someone as old as him with me!"

Meanwhile not too far away in the faculty quarters.

"Hachoo!" Professor Colbert sneezed while he was reviewing the lessons he planned to teach for next week. "That's weird… I think caught a cold sniff…" He said while he continued to rub his nose.

Back in Louise's room.

"Then what do you plan?"

Archerko closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her head. Other than Colbert she didn't really know of anyone to pair with Louise.

"Don't tell me you plan on Lan…"

"I want you to go with me you idiot!" Louise shouted before Archerko could say 'cer'.

"Eh? Me?"

Archerko gasped then shouted.

"Okay, I know I'm quite athletic and somewhat popular with some of the girls here."

She coughed a bit in a cocky manner.

"I am also the epitome of cool and the peak of awesomeness."

"Stop it with the self-praise already!" Louise scolded.

"How exactly are you going to pass me as a guy?" She asked after doing a girlish turn to emphasize her femininity.

"Humph!"

Louise walked to the dresser and slammed its doors open.

"Don't underestimate us nobles!"

Inside the dresser were a variety of noble clothes worn by the male nobility. They were tunics made to look every noble male look as dashing as possible. There were some high class Knee Breeches Kilts, some shirts that look like Buccaneer Shirts that were paired with some matching eye patches. The pants too were high class and almost of them were made from expensive black velvet.

"Hoeh…"

Archerko was astonished. She couldn't believe that Louise actually spent so much money for these only for such an event.

"Now let's make you try some of them on!" Louise grabbed Archerko and started undressing her.

"W-wait don't I have a say in this?"

Archerko struggled to complain but Louise made quick work of her dress until she was in her undies.

The first thing Louise made her try was a white Linen Chevalier Shirt matched with comfortable cotton pants. The suit came in a set with a decorative sword and a sheath to hang around her waist. The seams of the shirt were embroidered with some of the kingdom's best tailors. It was easy to see that this was a valuable item and only a few lucky people could wear them.

"Hmm… not bad but something's wrong…"

Louise tapped her feet with her hands folded on her chest.

"This isn't going to work Louise…" Archerko cried. She didn't feel comfortable with what she was being ordered to wear.

"Next!" Louise grabbed a random tunic from the dresser behind her.

The next set of clothes sported the Cotton Poet style. The cotton shirt had a long sleeve that extended to cover almost half her fingers. It had a collar and three buttons to close the opening on its chest. She also needed to wear a tight belt that came with the set to press the shirt closer to her body that's said to give that 'slender' impression.

"This is too tight Louise!" Archerko complained again. She could barely breathe while wearing the Cotton Poet Set.

"Stop complaining you worthless dog! It's these useless things that are making it hard!"

Louise started squeezing her familiar's breasts which were visibly bulging on the surface of the suit.

"It's these useless things!"

"K-kyahh!"

Archerko moaned as she tried to push her master away who was aggressively trying to push her breasts down.

"S-stop it Louise!" The tight fitting clothes made feel like she was being directly groped.

"Excuse me… am I interrupting some sort of mana transfer?" A somewhat masculine voice interrupted them while they didn't notice the door open. It was Bazett in her Academy Guard outfit.

"B-Bazett!"

Archerko who finally managed to escape Louise went past Bazett and slammed the door shut. "

You didn't bring that guy with you right?" Archerko asked before sitting back with Louise on the bed.

Bazett waved her head.

"If you mean Lancer, I allowed him to roam the school grounds and some distance outside just for him to get used to this world." Bazett replied.

Right after he was summoned, Lancer bugged Archerko and Bazett for answers. He asked where he was, why he was there and how come Bazett doesn't remember him.

"Thank god…" Archerko sighed in relief.

"Did you need something?" Louise asked. She was a little annoyed that she was interrupted from turning her familiar into a dress-up mannequin.

"I wanted to talk to Archerko about this."

She flashed the Caster card they found the other day.

"I have confirmed from the principal that there wasn't only one card that fell in this world. People claimed to have seen more or less twenty rays of light scattered that night."

"Uwah?" Archerko was shocked to hear that information.

"Bazett why do you still have that dangerous thing?" Louise asked.

The mage was right to fear the power of the card. To her it was a ticking time bomb that might detonate any second while it's in someone's hands.

"Such a dangerous thing should be guarded by the proper authorities." She said referring to the government's special magi department.

"This card came from a world very similar to mine. If there's someone qualified to handle this card, I assure you no one has that credit other than me."

Bazett replied with full confidence. As the person tasked to gather all the cards before she knew exactly how to deal with the cards. Putting it in the hands of another can immediately lead to chaos.

"Anyway, I was wondering if…"

"If you can use the power of the cards to send you back to your own world?" Archerko read Bazett's mind.

"…" Bazett paused for a while before she nodded. "If these cards were able to travel dimensions then I am sure if I can learn to use them properly then I might be able to use them as catalyst to return to mine." Bazett explained. This theory holds a little bit of truth for the cards themselves are a phenomenon.

"I don't know Bazett I have a strange feeling that they didn't fly here on their own."

Archerko disagreed while she was loosening the cotton shirt Louise forced her to wear.

"Think about it. How did the cards gather in one place? And if I remember correctly there are only seven standard servant classes."

"Servant Classes?" Louise interrupted. She was lost on what the two girls were talking about.

"Yes. In our world there are beings, spirits who are summoned to fight in a magician's war they are called servants." Archerko explained to her master. "The standard classes are Saber, Archer, Lancer, Berserker, Caster, Rider and Assassin."

She enumerated all the servants she knew with the faces of some of her friends in mind.

"The one we fought was of a Caster class."

"That's true but in my world there was an eighth card that we were about to go after before I got sent in this world." Bazett remembered the eighth card Rin and Luvia were talking about.

"Yes it's not uncommon that an eighth class will appear. In my world there were two instances that I know off that a warrior from a different class than the seven appeared. One was a Mythological god from the Savior Class and the other one is a warrior that took the hatred of the world unto him hailing from the Avenger Class."

Archerko snickered after saying 'Avenger' because in her world Bazett and Avenger were pretty close.

"Then… is it possible that…"

Bazett felt anxious to hear that there might be more unidentified cards in this world that they don't know of. If that was true her experience with dealing with Class Cards will amount to almost nothing.

"It's either that. Or it's also possible that we're dealing with three sets of cards." Archerko replied.

"Interesting…" Bazett rested her chin on her fist.

"Sorry for interrupting, thank you, you have given me much to think about. What were you two up to? Maybe I can help."

"B-Bazett!"

Archerko flailed at the enforcer. She was hoping that Louise would forget all about the Ball in the topic but Bazett just reminded them of that just now.

"Oh yes!" Louise cheered with such a huge smile on her face. "Bazett exactly how big are your breasts?" She asked with a straight face. Usually she would be ashamed and too embarrassed to ask such things but right now she's in a trance.

"I haven't checked lately but I would say that I have the same size as Archerko." Bazett replied after taking a glance of Archerko's chest.

"Perfect!" Louise cheered. "Since you offered to help, please tell us on how you keep your breasts flat inside those clothes you wear."

"No Bazett!" Archerko pleaded but she was placed in a headlock by her master.

"It's no big deal really… but what is this all about?" Bazett asked curiously.

"We need to have this useless dog looking like a boy in three days but these things just keep getting in the way!"

Louise explained while mercilessly using her right hand to squeeze and press on left breast.

"Hnn!" Archerko whimpered and squinted as her master continued to violate her chest.

"A disguise? Then this is some sort of infiltration mission? Then you have my cooperation!"

Bazett was happy to comply. When it comes to things like 'infiltration, assault' and other military sounding stuff her switch just turn's on. "Now allow me to help!" She said while she somehow managed to obtain a huge roll of bandages from somewhere.

"W-wait Bazett."

Archerko moved back to the corner of the bed with the look of despair on her face. The two girls looked like sinister demons as they approached her with their hands raised like a grappler and wiggling fingers.

"N-n-n-Noooooooooo!" She screamed as the two's shadows covered her entirety.

"That's perfect!" Louise cheered while she adored their creation in front of them.

"Y-you people are so mean."

Archerko was in the verge of tears. She felt extremely violated by the two and what they did to her.

"I can barely breathe…"

What they had Archerko wear was a Long-sleeved. Striped Black Velvet Chevalier Shirt matched with high quality cotton pants. Inside the shirt were tightly wrapped bandages around her chest which closely choked Archerko's movements. They tied her hair into a couple of braids to make her look more boyish.

"You almost remind me of me in my enforcer attire." Bazett remembered her tux. Oh how she missed that tux.

"You almost look like a prince! With this you're sure to be accepted in the party."

Louise was very happy to have transformed her familiar to this handsome gentleman.

"From now on until the party you will practice wearing those bandages!" She commanded.

"That's just inhumane!" Archerko complained but everything she said didn't matter.

The next day.

"How is it partner?"

Derflinger asked from inside his sheath which Archerko wore hanging around her back. She was walking in a hall near Louise's classroom. As a familiar she didn't have anything to do with the class so Louise allowed her some free time.

"It's very hard to breathe!" Archerko replied. She was sweating just enduring the tight fit around her chest. Today she's wearing a Blue Buccaneer Shirt for Men and Brown Wool Pants as Louise instructed to get her used to wearing male outfits. She also had a part of her hair tied in a bun like a certain King of Knights and hid that part inside a blue cabby hat.

"But I have to admit partner, you look pretty convincing as a boy in that get up."

Derflinger complimented.

"You look more dashing and manly than some of the men here."

"I'm not sure how to take that…"

Archerko did not know whether she should take that as praise or an unintended insult.

"Oi hello there!" She shouted as she waved to some familiar faces.

Not too far from her were the four mages who she met who were looking for the panty thief. They were eating together on some marble benches under a mango tree. The four noticed her waving while she walked leisurely towards them.

"I'm glad you're alright."

Archerko said with a big sincere smile on her face.

"How have you been?"

"…" The four mages looked up silently at her with discerning eyes.

"Sorry but… who are you?" Caterina asked.

"W-wha?" Archerko was surprised. Could it be that they don't recognize her because of her outfit?

"For a while there you kind of looked like Miss Archerko. But unlike a washboard like you she had perfectly shaped breasts." Said Ysabel while she pranced around giddily with an ecstatic face while she imagined her idol inside her mind.

"T-that's!" Archerko gasped to hear that comment. Did these girls really like her for her talents or because of something else?

"Also, she's proud of her beautiful silver hair and doesn't hide it in a stupid cabby hat." Ursola added. She wriggled her hips eagerly while having fists closed tightly near her chin. "That beautiful silky smooth hair!" She said before uttering a sigh admiration.

"A-ah well…" Archerko tried to butt-in to explain her situation but the four were caught up in their own imaginations.

"Lastly… Archerko-sama is very athletic. You on the other hand look all sweaty just walking from there to here." Said Raphaela who was the most silent of the four. "The way she saved us from that evil mysterious magician was so overwhelming."

"_That's because of these stupid bandages choking me to death you brats_." The silver-haired familiar thought to herself.

"But…" Caterina held Archerko's hands with her own. "A fellow Archerko fan is always a comrade! Why don't you join the fanclub? Our club leader is usually in the club room at this time. Our leader is a senior so the room is in the senior's buildings. It's the biggest room there at the third floor. We need to go now because we have a class. See you there!"

The first year handed Archerko a small paper that had directions on how to find the club room. Surprisingly on the back of that paper was a neatly drawn portrait of Archerko that probably was taken when Archerko fought the Knight Captain it depicted how she broke the captain's sword with her two short swords.

"…" Archerko just stared at that paper thinking whether she should visit that clubroom or not.

"Oh by the way…"

Ysabel approached Archerko before joining her friends.

"You got her runes wrong. The Ancient Insignia is supposed to be on the right side and her beautiful black tattoo is on the left side. Bye!" Ysabel left behind a stunned Archerko.

Right now the image of Archerko is that of someone incased in solid cement. She felt extremely awkward with what just happened. "The runes are on the correct sides!" She shouted as the girls disappeared in a corner unable to hear her.

The counter-counter-guardian felt depressed that her so called 'biggest' fans couldn't recognize her just because she pressed down her breasts. However, she desperately needed a distraction from the merciless bandages encasing her chest. Louise and her friends were still in class so she thought about visiting some other people like Siesta and her maid friends. The walk from where she was to the Academy Kitchen wasn't too long. On the way, some students looked at her funny saying 'oh hey look it's another Archerko imitator but she somehow managed to ignore them.

Upon reaching the kitchen entrance she knocked on the door and let herself in. She was immediately greeted by the most familiar face there- Siesta. For a few seconds they merely looked at each other in the face before Siesta broke the silence and said "excuse me sir but who are you?"

Archerko comically smashed her forehead on the wall after that comment. "You too?" She said in a disappointed tone. "It's me Archerko!" she removed her hat to reveal her long hair which was still in a bun.

"M-Miss Archerko!" Siesta placed the dishes she was carrying on the sink greeted her hero. Archerko held her by the waist to support her until she ended her embrace. "S-sorry but what exactly happened to…"

"Don't ask!" Archerko cried. "I have to dress this way to practice for Louise's Noble Ball two days from now." She explained.

"Oh I know of that. It's that prestigious party some really wealthy noble holds every year. Only the most prominent of nobles are allowed to enter. In our academy I heard it was only Miss Louise who has continued to receive the invitations." Siesta replied.

"Really? So Louise's clan is really that renowned?" Archerko knew that Louise herself was very close to the most important person in Tristania but she wasn't fully aware about her master's clan.

"Yes. In fact their family is so strong that there have been jokes that the name Valliere is the new word for something greater than a noble." Siesta explained. "So in the hierarchy it would go something like this: at the very bottom there are the peasants, then the working class, then the merchants, then the professionals, then the rich land lords, then the elite nobles, then just a cut below the royalty are the esteemed Vallieres."

"So they're so influential that they're almost in a level of their own." Archerko analyzed. The way Siesta said it there should be no one in this country except someone from the royal family that can cross Louise.

"So what brings you here Miss Archerko?" Siesta asked after finally calming down.

"I have to do something to get my mind of these bandages. I was wondering if I could help out just to pass the time." Archerko asked.

"B-but we can't just let the hero of the academy to do greasy jobs here in the kitchen." Siesta waved her head in protest.

"Not that, you make deliveries to different places here in the Academy right?" Archerko remembered Siesta bringing Louise her food inside the dorm. If she needed to do stuff to get used to the outfit then moving around delivering food might be the best solution available to her right now.

"I- I don't know…" Siesta hesitated. "Anyway I'm sure everyone's eager to see you. They've all been worried since you got ill when you saved me." The maid invited the counter-counter-guardian inside the inner kitchen where all the hot works happen.

"Um!" Archerko nodded. She remembered that she has not visited her friends in the kitchen since she recovered.

Inside the kitchen was a busy bunch. The maids were running around the place to deliver different ingredients to the chefs who were yelling their tonsils out to ask for what they needed. It looked totally hectic. One of the maids even tripped and dropped a couple of string beans on the ground.

"What's your problem Elle!" One of the chefs shouted in frustration. "Where are those string beans I asked for?" He demanded.

"I- I'm sorry chef." The poor maid apologized.

"That maid looks new." Said Archerko who did not recognize the maid.

"She is new. She just got hired yesterday. I feel sorry for her that she had to start at a troublesome time." Siesta sighed. It's true, after the problems the Academy had with Fouquet many of the students suddenly developed voracious appetites. Furthermore all of the students there were nobles and some of them would not allow their meal to be late even for just a second. "Hey everyone guess who's here."

At Siesta's call everyone stopped to look at her. They immediately noticed the person beside her. "P-please forgive us for not noticing you as you came in kind sir. We didn't know a prince from another country would come and visit our humble kitchen today." The head chef bowed in deep apology.

"…" Archerko grabbed her hat and threw it on the ground. "I am Archerko god damn it! What is wrong with you people!" She shouted in an irritated voice.

"O-oh! Everyone it's Archerko!" At that point all the maids and all the chefs stopped whatever they were doing to greet the person they looked up to as a hero. After all, that familiar was the person that saved their best made and kept the school safe from a hungry titan. They all approached her with smiling faces to congratulate her for a fast recovery.

"M-Miss Archerko I thought you would leave us I'm so glad you're fine!" One of the maids was crying endlessly while she clung around the legs of the counter-counter-guardian.

"Oh come on guys I wasn't that sick." Archerko tried to shrug the maid off. "I only had to…" Archerko remembered the process that Louise and her had to perform to rejuvenate her mana. "Oh never mind. I came here to help." She said with a smile after an awkward laugh.

"We heard from Siesta on how you handled those guards back in that mansion. You must be a really powerful magician!" The chef complimented.

"I'm more of a melee fighter than a mage. But if the situation calls I assure you I will be the strongest magus just for you."

Archerko randomly grabbed a maid nearby and gently held her in her arms while swinging her like a princess in a dance.

"I- I…"

The maid was forced to look at the familiar's charming face. She felt blood rise to her face as her heartbeat raced.

"Nggh…"

Because of the Epic Spirit's princely attire and irresistible charms the poor maid could no longer hold it. Her face swelled tomato-red before a stream of blood erupted from her nose which Archerko just closely dodged.

"I- I- Iyahh!" The girl cried in embarrassment.

The maid, having not the courage to receive the looks of everyone and Archerko dashed away room leaving a trail of blood behind her. She had her hands on her face as she squealed and whimpered while clumsily running in her maid outfit.

"Aela!" The chef cried.

"Sorry… I seriously didn't know that would happen."

Archerko said while she looked at the blood trail leading from where the girl stood to outside the kitchen.

"_Looks like a freaking crime scene._" She thought to herself.

"T-that's fine but now we're lacking one person to make the deliveries."

The chef sighed.

"At this rate those brats will

"Oh, then I guess I will have to do her job for now then." Archerko volunteered. Now she won't be bored and she has Siesta to accompany her while doing the rounds.

"B-but we can't possibly…"

"Say no more!" Archerko said out loud. "I will be offended if you don't let me do at least this much." She pouted as she said this.

"W-well I suppose… erhem…" The head chef pretended to cough. "Well then Miss Archerko please meet Ivan." He escorted Archerko to a man dealing with packaging the food in different containers. He's the one who manages every food that comes out of here for room delivery."

"Eh? Who is this? A new butler of some sort?" The man was a fat mustached. He wore a plain green shirt and shorts that covered all the way to his knees. He had a sharp glare directed at Archerko who he has only seen for the first time.

"N-no she's…"

"My name is Shirouko Emilya." Archerko replied before the chef could introduce her.

"A-Arch…" Siesta was surprised. Archerko tapped her hand to stop her from saying 'Archerko'.

"_If I'm going to be mistaken for a boy for the whole day. I might as well give them a legit name._" Archerko thought to herself.

"You have very nice clothes for someone who will work in the kitchen. Know early that I won't care about your fine clothes I'll work you as hard as I work everybody else." Said the man.

"Okay." Archerko replied quickly as a show of her determination.

"Then here's your first list and their orders." The man named Ivan gave her a list and showed her a stack of trays.

Archerko immediately looked for a trolley to put the trays on. To her wonder, she found none. "Excuse me but where are the trolleys?" She asked.

"Troll what?" The man asked. He had a confused look on his face as his eyes narrowed on Archerko's face.

It became obvious to Archerko that they had no such technology which is weird to say the least. "Then am I supposed to carry them all?"

"A-Archerko-san…" Siesta whispered to the familiar's ear. "We take them one by one to the students in their dorms and classrooms.

"That's stupid!" Archerko forgot that the manager was there and said this out loud.

"What?" Ivan walked to her with an angry face. "Did you just insult me?" The big man asked.

"N-no I'm sorry…" Archerko wanted to punch the fatty on the face but she didn't want to cause trouble in the kitchen. Besides it was her that volunteered to do the job. She took one tray and to her relief Siesta took another. Apparently the job was distributed evenly to both of them. Now she had someone to talk to as they delivered the trays.

As they exited the kitchen through the backdoor to deliver the food Siesta was the first to open a discussion. "Miss Archerko, was that your real name?" She asked referring to the name 'Shirouko Emilya' that Archerko used.

"N-not really," Archerko stuttered. "It's just a name I came up with after remembering a friend." She lied. "Do you always handle the delivery like this? Won't it be more efficient if we had a big basket to put everything in so we don't have to come back every time we go to the next person in the list?" Archerko asked with the intention of changing the topic.

Siesta nodded. "It's very inefficient but if we hurry, we get the job done. Well to tell you the truth, that was before. These days the students are just so voracious and demanding that it's hard to catch up." Said Siesta.

"Did the death of seven students really cause that much depression that every student goes hungry faster all of a sudden?" Archerko asked.

"People eat more when they're afraid." Siesta giggled.

"Aren't you afraid?" Archerko took a glance at the maid. She wondered if Siesta was ever bothered about what happened around her the past few days.

Siesta avoided any form of eye contact and just continued looking down on the floor as they walked. "Yes. Even now I'm honestly scared that something like that just attacked the Academy. That itcrushed the walls as if it was made of charcoal. But for some reason…" Siesta looked up to Archerko who was keenly observing the maid.

"Hmm?" Archerko urged to maid to continue.

"When I remember that Miss Archerko is here in this place. For some reason I feel that it will all be fine." She said with a big smile tracing across her face.

Archerko returned that smile but hers quickly disappeared into a melancholic look. "I'm not sure why students are hailing me as a hero. I failed to protect seven people." She remembered the faces of the relatives and friends of those seven who perished by Caster's hands. She could not help but connect that to her past, how she failed to protect some of her loved ones. "Don't get me wrong, I have always aspired to be a hero, to be a hero of justice but in the end I'm really just a faker." Archerko forced a smile at Siesta as they reached the second year dorms.

"Hmm… let's see, I'm free from the clutches of a perverted duke, and I'm alive after a sea monster half the size of the Academy attacked. I think I can say with confidence that you've saved me Miss Archerko." Siesta tried to cheer Archerko up. Despite the familiar's smile Siesta knew that the silver-haired beauty was still greatly troubled.

"I guess if you put it that way…" Archerko blushed a bit. She hasn't noticed this herself but she was always too harsh on herself when she fails on something that she overlooks the greater things that she does. "Ah here's the room of one of the students in the list." Said Archerko as she compared the list to the room number.

"What took you so long?" A man greeted them from the other side of the door. The man was a fat, midget who had a stern look on his face. He wore glasses and had pimples and freckles over his entire face but all that are eclipsed by the huge mole growing beside his nose.

"Hwoah!" Archerko shouted and almost dropped the tray she was holding. The sight of that hideous thing from beyond the door surprised the great hero that faced the Leviathan.

"What's your problem?" The fat kid asked while keeping a suspicious stare at Archerko.

"N-nothing sir…" Archerko tried to be polite but her eyes were fixated on that throbbing mole on the fat boy's face. "That thing on your face is that your nose?" She asked mindlessly as her eyes focused more on that mole.

The boy rubbed his nose irritated and said "Of course this is my nose! What did you think it was?" He looked very angry. Archerko had to do something to calm this boy down.

"S-sorry it's just that your nose looked pretty well shaped." Archerko lied. It was a horrible lie and she didn't expect the boy to buy it.

"…" The boy stared at Archerko for a while. "I know right? My mother and aunts always have told me that I'm the most handsome boy in our clan." The boy placed one of his flabby arms on the back of his head as if he was trying to emphasize his supposedly great body.

"Seems legit…" Archerko said while her left cheek twitched uncontrollably.

"Anyway, what do we have here?" The boy turned his attention to Siesta. His eyes shape suddenly turned upside down while his face brightened dark red. "You're a pretty one. I'll have you take my food inside my room for me." He said before opening the door wider to invite Siesta in.

"Hey Siesta…" Archerko tried to stop Siesta by tapping her shoulder.

"Don't worry Miss Archerko. I've chatted with many clients like him. I can handle myself." Said Siesta.

"But…" The familiar was extremely worried after seeing that lewd look on the fatty's face.

"You there! I'm not interested in pretty boys. Go on! Scram!" The boy commanded. Archerko backed away a bit while Siesta disappeared inside the room. Archerko stood beside the door while carefully listening to their conversation inside. She didn't trust that boy one bit.

"What are you doing Siesta that asshole is obviously a lecher." Archerko said to herself.

"You look really pretty for a maid." The voice of the boy sounded really aggressive from inside the room. "I want you to feed me."

"B-but sir we have other deliveries to attend to." Siesta's voice sounded as if she was pleading with the man.

"Last time I checked I'm a noble and you're just a lowly maid. You do what I say." The boy's voice sounded very high and mighty.

"O-okay…" Siesta was forced to comply. She took the spoon and attempted to spoon-feed the fat kid.

"No!" The boy shouted. The sound of a metallic chink followed. The boy has apparently swept the spoon out of Siesta's hand. "A pretty lady such as yourself needs to know how to use your mouth." Said the boy.

"What the f…" Archerko gasped from outside the room after hearing that.

"N-no sir we don't do those kinds of services!" Siesta's footsteps seemed to move closer to the door. She was trying to get away from the kid in heat.

Archerko waited for the door to open but another set of footsteps drowned the previous set. It's easy to tell that it was the footsteps of the boy because they were sounded as heavy as a sledgehammer hitting a block. The distinct sound of a knob being locked followed that.

"I don't think it's very smart of you to turn down a handsome noble like me." Said the boy before he forcefully pushed the maid to his bed.

"Kyahh!" Siesta shouted. "N-no sir please!" She pleaded.

"Don't be shy now. After this I will recommend you to have a…" The boy was about to reveal his plans for Siesta but then suddenly.

*Crash*

A small hole burst open from above the boy's head before a hand appeared that tightly grasped the boy's scalp. The boy screamed in horror as he felt fingers dig deep on his skull. With superhuman strength the hand pulled him through the door and sent him flying onto one of the stone pillars that supported the dorm.

"M-miss!" Siesta was about to say 'Archerko' but Archerko looked at her to remind her of something. "Mister Emilya."Siesta cried with relief as she saw Archerko standing over the boy who was struggling to get up his feet.

"You pig!" Archerko shouted as the boy got up to his feet.

"H-how dare you insult me, a noble like that?" The boy sneered angrily at the familiar. "You will pay!" He took out the wand he was hiding inside his pocket. To his surprise when he finally managed to raise his hand to cast a spell the wand was no longer in his hand. "W-what the"

"This?" Archerko showed a stick that looked incredibly similar to the boy's wand.

"H-how did you…" The boy panicked. He did not have time to react at all when his opponent snatched his wand away from him and he didn't even see how it happened.

"Trace…" Archerko murmured. In the blink of an eye the wand she was holding shattered into shards. She has the ability to reinforce objects but when that ability is misused, simple objects and weapons can easily be destroyed.

"Ah!" The boy freaked out after he saw his wand just shatter while his opponent was just holding it. "I'll make sure you'll pay for this! I'll have your family destroyed. I'll have you know that I'm a Bondeville and my clan is very influential!" The boy bragged.

"What about it?" A different voice asked. The fat boy turned to see who it was. There beside them was a pink-haired mage standing while looking awfully bored.

"You are? Are you here to stand in my way too? I'm a Bondeville and I demand that this lowly…" The boy continued to rant but he was cut once again by the new comer.

"As I said… what about it?" Louise said with an intimidating voice. "I am Louise Francoise LeBlanc de la Valliere. Do we have a problem?" Louise asked with wide eyes. She looked incredibly pissed.

"Y-you're a Valliere!" The boy squealed.

"Yes and you were insulting my precious familiar you stinking pig!" The zero said this with no mercy.

"H-hoehh…" Siesta was astonished to see Louise to be worked up that much. She was usually the apologetic type but not this time. This was one of the rare times that Siesta witnessed the pride and wrath of a Valliere towards her lesser nobles.

"Y-your familiar?" The boy was now so scared that he was sweating uncontrollably. "T-then that means you're."

"I am Archerko the proud familiar of Louise." The counter-counter-guardian approached the boy closely before summoning a dozen weapons that she made hover around the fatty. "Know your place!" She shouted while giving the fatso an evil merciless glare.

"G-gyahh!" The boy screamed in horror before he fainted and wetted his pants.

Louise grabbed her familiar's ear and started dragging her away from the maid who followed them. She looked very impatient and somewhat jealous.

"What are you doing hanging out with this lowly maid?" Louise asked in an angry, interrogating tone.

"Miss Archerko was just helping me with my work." Siesta replied for the familiar.

"You're the one who told me to get used to this outfit Louise!" Archerko complained. "I had to do something that will help me get used to it faster. Besides I was bored!" She said childishly.

"You should've just sparred with Bazett b-but not with that Lancer guy or something!" Louise suggested an alternative.

"I don't want to have anything to do with that idiot!" Archerko shouted. She was very frank and very merciless with saying it too.

"If you're done playing house with this peasant then let's go back." Louise commanded.

"Actually he's only the first in our list." Archerko revealed to Louise the list containing 12 names of students.

"Eh?" Louise said this with a lazy and annoyed tone.

"M-Miss Archerko I think I can…" Siesta tried to take the list from the familiar but Archerko just stretched her arms until Siesta couldn't reach for her hands.

"Louise because of me the task that ugly manager gave was designed for two. I can't just let Siesta overwork herself because of my selfishness." Archerko said to Louise defiantly.

Louise gave Archerko a bored stare before finally giving in with a sigh. "Okay but I'm coming with you." She insisted.

"Are you sure? I mean…" Archerko paused to remember some of the times Louise tried to keep up with her on simple tasks like brisk walking or running and all of those time the zero sweated buckets.

"What do you mean?" Louise asked with a raised tone. She felt insulted with Archerko's question. "I have to make sure you're not trying to do something bad with this lowly maid."

"Err… please throw away such useless worries…" Archerko waved her hands horizontally up and down as if she was trying to ward away a bad smell with eyes closed.

"Besides I'm worried you might come across someone like him again." Louise said while she pointed at the fat student lying unconscious on the ground. "Someone like you who's so quick to use her strength is dangerous around these idiots."

"Boo…" Archerko pouted and looked away rebelliously. "What was I supposed to do?"

Despite Archerko's protests her master forcibly joined. They made their way back to Ivan to get the next dish for the next customer.

"It seems that you're already used to the bandages." Louise noticed that Archerko walking more freely than yesterday when Bazett first wrapped those restrictions tightly around her chest.

"Hardly…" Archerko sadly replied. "But it's only until the party finishes right?" Archerko turned to Louise with teary eyes and a hopeful smile.

Louise looked at Archerko for a moment. "Stop complaining, you remove them when I say you do!" She scolded.

"How unreasonable…" Archerko sighed before covering her face with her palm.

"Stop talking back you dumb familiar!" Louise scolded. "You're mine! Your body is mine! Your soul and mind is mine! You do what I…" A switch flicked flipped in Louise's brain as she finally realized what she just said.

"L-Louise I…" Archerko's turned her blushing face away while sounding like a meek little kitten.

"H-how bold." Siesta interrupted with her hands on her mouth wearing the same flustered face Archerko had.

Around them there were some people sitting on benches looking at them. All of them were looking at Louise weirdly while whispering to each other. Some of them were giggling but all of them were pinkish around their cheeks.

"A-as expected of a Valliere. She's not bound by society!" One of the girls whispered to her friend sitting beside her.

"Y-yeah and her boyfriend is just so cute. She's so frank about her feelings about him." The other girl replied in a soft voice.

Louise silently placed her arms down while cringing. "Y-y-y-y-you dumb familiar!" Louise screamed. "What did you make me say?" She roared as she grabbed her wand from inside her skirt's pocket.

"Eh! How is that my fault?" Archerko complained while she dodged the first energy blast that destroyed the concrete floor beneath her feet.

"I- I will have to thoroughly punish you…" Louise revealed a retractable whip that she was hiding in her robes.

"Uwah how unlucky!" Archerko cried as she escaped the lashes of an angry Void Mage.

Thanks to their shenanigans Archerko's and Siesta's job to deliver food was quickly dropped. However thanks to Louise's influence Siesta was not punished and the man named Ivan apologized for his earlier treatment to the silver-haired familiar.

"I- I'm very sorry." Archerko bowed down to the chefs that she probably disappointed.

"Oh no please no!" One of the chefs pleaded for Archerko to raise her head. "We got to see the hero that saved our lives and the noble who fought for our Siesta." The chef graciously bowed to Louise who bowed too to receive his thanks.

"I need to ask more favors from your kindness though. May I borrow Siesta for four days?" Louise requested?

"Eh?" Siesta gasped in surprise.

"I'll need a maid for the ball and I trust no other maid in this Academy more than Siesta." Louise asked sincerely.

"M-Miss Louise…" Siesta felt grateful that she was special to Louise. To think that after being called lowly and a peasant most of the time she would be considered special to the Valliere.

"We approve of it; we know our Siesta is safe in your care Miss Valliere." The chef smiled and nodded gently.

"Thank you very much!" Louise said with gratitude.

After that, Louise dragged Archerko back to the dorm. Everybody was staring at them on the way but it didn't matter anymore after that a while ago. Upon reaching their room Louise pushed Archerko out.

"W-what's wrong with you?" Archerko shouted while Louise half-closed the door.

"J-just wait there!" Louise said with blushing cheeks before she closed the door.

Archerko patiently leaned on her back beside the door waiting for Louise. She wondered what the mage was doing that she didn't want to be seen. She imagined a few unsightly instances; one example would be that her master was secretly making another torturous device to punish her with because lately Louise's interest with whips and shackles have grown quite exponentially. She imagined a guillotine rack where she would be tied down and shackled while the pink-haired mage laughs sinisterly with her whip and clamps in her hands.

"No, no that's impossible…" Archerko shook her head to remove that image from her mind. "Isn't it?" She asked herself before gulping down her own saliva. Before she could think of an alternative image the door beside her opened slowly.

"Come in." Louise commanded.

Archerko entered the door while bracing her for whatever is in it. To her relief there were no torturing contraptions or S & M equipment. So what was it that Louise was hiding?

"S-so how do I look?" Louise asked while she paraded herself in front of Archerko.

The pink-haired lass was wearing a one-piece white, sleeveless, tank-top dress which covered from her chest to just a cut above her knees. On her head was a circlet embedded with sapphire, diamond and rubies that most nobles would cry to have. The dress revealed just enough skin to flaunt of the mage's flawless shoulders. Her waist was wrapped with an elegant sash that kept the dress from falling apart and displayed the mage's slender and petite legs. Her feet lay on a pair of beautiful sandals that allowed enough skin to have men drool over those smooth feet.

"You look very cute." Archerko replied before flashing her charming smile that Louise loved to see.

"R-really?" Louise blushed and looked away. "I was thinking of buying a new one because I thought this one grew on me." She said.

"No, I think you look quite stellar in that." Archerko complemented.

"T-then…" The mage slowly approached her familiar. She was shaking as she stretched her arms to offer her hand to the girl dressed up as a boy in front of her. Her face was feverishly red as she looked up and said, "t-then am I… am I worthy enough to dance with you?"

"…" Archerko's heart skipped a bit for a second. That lovingly look on her master is making her heart race more than anyone else had. Without thinking she grabbed Louise's wrist and pulled the mage into her arms tightly. "You're just too cute you idiot…" Archerko whispered to Louise's ear.

"Hii…" Louise whimpered inside her familiar's arms. She didn't expect this kind of reaction from Archerko and didn't know how to respond. She cuddled inside Archerko's protective arms. "O-only for now will I allow you to hold your master like this." Louise said even though in her mind she wanted to do this every day.

"Then allow me to be more willful…" Archerko released Louise to look at her pretty face and gently hold her chin. "Will you give me the honor of this dance?"

"W-what are you saying you idiot we're not in…" Louise was about to scold Archerko for inviting her to dance outside the room, on a corridor where many people pass but her lips were suddenly sealed by a tender kiss. The taste of heavenly strawberry filled her mouth. She tasted Archerko's lips a couple of times but every time was always special. This time was extremely special because for the first time it was Archerko who initiated the kiss.

The end of the kiss triggered their moves as they swayed slowly and elegantly around the corridor. Archerko was performing a man's role and had her hands around Louise's slender hips while the mage had her arms around her partner's shoulders.

"A-Archerko…" Louise's eyes sparkled like the clear sea under the moon. To her, she felt like all the admiration she had for the world were on Archerko right now. She couldn't see the walls of the corridors they were dancing on. It was as if they were in a void where only the two of them were allowed to exist.

"You're very beautiful Louise." Archerko said as she led Louise to a beautiful turn.

The two of them slowly accelerated as they waltzed around space and the stars that revolved around them. They just followed the flow of their hearts to guide them to every step. While they performed every sway, every turn and every spin their eyes were always connected until the moment where they found themselves breathing each other's scent. They slowly closed their eyes as they obeyed the commands of their lips. Archerko started to lean over to have her fill of the mage's lips while Louise waited eagerly to taste Archerko's flavor inside her mouth again.

"Kyahh!" The high-pitched screams of a young girl dispelled the spell both the master and familiar casted on each other.

"W-what the…" Archerko who just snapped out from Louise's charms noticed the crowd gathering just above the stairs eagerly watching them.

"Eh!" Louise too just noticed the gawking eyes of the audience around them.

"And I think they were about to kiss! You idiot!" One of the girls scolded the girl who squealed. She looked pretty pissed that the two were interrupted.

"G-g-g-gyahh!" Louise pushed Archerko away and slammed the door.

Archerko just stood there to receive everyone's stares. Some of them were murmuring 'who's that charming boy?' while some answered 'isn't that Miss Archerko?' She didn't bother answering any of them because just now she felt something change inside her. She looked at her hands that held her master inside them just now while she contemplated on what she just did. It was not until a few seconds that she decided to move.

"Excuse me your miss and misters would you please let me through?" Archerko decided to keep the gentleman act since some of the still thought that she was a boy.

"A-aren't you Miss Archerko?" One of the girls asked while hiding half of her blushing face behind a book.

"I'm sort of a relative, my name is Shirouko."

Archerko lied before charming the girls with a wink. The men around her gnashed their teeth in jealousy and anger while the girls squealed as they stepped aside to give her way.

Meanwhile in another part of the academy another woman was troubled. She was sitting on a bench while waiting outside the principal's room while staring at the card Archerko gave her.

"You've been giving that card that sharp glare since we got here."

Lancer tapped his master's shoulder from behind.

"It's just that… no matter what angle I look at it… it's very similar to the cards in my world." Bazett replied before giving another card a quick thorough observation.

"Different worlds… servant class cards, these things are just all too new to me." Lancer sighed while he took a seat beside Bazett.

"I apologize…" Bazett kept the card in a pocket before saying this.

"Come again?" Lancer seemed surprised to hear his master say those two words all of a sudden.

"It's my fault why you're in an unfamiliar world. This must have been quite shocking." The enforcer continued to apologize. She intended to summon a familiar in that fight but she did not expect that she would've summoned another person from another world. She was expecting a dragon like Tabitha's at most.

"You can say that again…" Lancer sighed lazily. "I was just fishing with Gilgamesh when I got thrown in a black hole. That was really quite scary." Lancer remembered how Gilgamesh tried to pull him out of the hole with the Enkidu but failed.

"Sorry about that…" Bazett had a sad look on her face.

"But then, because of you I get to spend some time with my Archer!" Lancer's depressed mood suddenly took a 180 degree turn as he clenched his fist giddily.

"You're too obsessed with her. How sure are you that she's the girl in your world?" Bazett asked.

The possibility of summoning someone from the same world her friend was in was astronomical considering that there are infinite numbers of dimensions. Let's put it this way, not only are there different realities, there are also different timelines and each timeline branches out to different routes which all counts as another alternative. What were the odds that the person she summoned was from the same dimension and the same timeline as Archerko?

"To be honest I'm not totally sure. The last time I saw Archer in my world was a couple of months ago before I had to travel with you." Lancer replied.

"With me?" Bazett asked.

She wondered if Lancer was talking about her summoning or something completely different.

"Yeah, the you from my world had to go back to the Magus Association to complete her resignation."

"I resigned?"

Bazett was shocked to hear about her actions in another world.

"Are you sure her name is Bazett?" She could not accept the fact that someone that shared her reality had so little devotion that she would resign.

"Yes. You found something more important to you than your duty and left everything behind for a new family."

Lancer remembered the day they got back from their trip to the association. They were cheerfully greeted and wholeheartedly accepted by Shirou and the others. He immediately looked for Archerko but she wasn't there. Shirou told him that she travelled across the country for work but after months she never returned.

"More important than my duty?"

Bazett paused for a while if there was such a thing for her. Right now, her immediate return to her own world was certainly the most important but that doesn't count because it's only a necessary step to resume her enforcer duties.

"If Archer was summoned here three months ago then it fits my world's Archer's disappearance nearly that same time." Lancer explained.

"That's possible but when it comes to the level of multiple universes it's still just an impressive coincidence." Said Bazett.

"I'm sorry for making you wait."

The principal opened the door to his office and invited the two in. Apparently he was meeting with a mother of one of the seven student casualties. The mother looked really mad. She glared sharply at Bazett as they crossed paths. The door behind the enforcer was slammed shut just after the mother got out.

"I'm sorry for that."

The principal apologized. He knew that the mother gave Bazett a bad impression and a depressing atmosphere. He had a sad look looming over his face as he to shrug off the earlier conversation he had with the mother.

"I guess it's unavoidable since we lost some fine noble students." The principal sighed.

"Please don't apologize. It's also partly our fault. If we didn't push Fouquet in a corner then she wouldn't have resorted to using the card."

Bazett bowed down before flashing the Caster Card. She placed it on top of the principal's desk.

"What's this? I thought we already discussed that you're the best person for the job of keeping the cards?" The principal asked.

The old man was too scared to touch the card. Because of what happened to Longueville it's highly believed that any form of contact with the card by an inexperienced mage can lead to catastrophe. The slightest disturbance in mana might even make it react to something.

"Yes but I would just like to inform you that the other cards are potentially more powerful than this. I would like to be given the permission to find the ones that are lost in the kingdom of Tristania."

The enforcer's eyes shined with determination. She didn't know what kind of cards were out there but she needed to find them. Her plan was to retrieve all the cards lost in Tristania first then travel the continent for the remaining ones, or at least get the cards she needed to complete a set.

"You plan on traveling Tristania to find all the cards? Did I hear that right?"

The principal had a worried look on his face while waiting for Bazett's confirmation.

"Yes." Bazett replied.

The principal closed his eyes. He didn't look like he agreed with Bazett's plan regarding the matter. The old man stood up and randomly walked across the room as if he was trying to rid himself of excess energy before he tries to tell Bazett his opinion.

"I do not agree." He said in an apologetic but firm tone.

Bazett was surprised with the principal's decision. She thought that they would be looking at the problem in the same perspective. If she was right then her plan would cause mutual benefits between them but then, why did the principal not agree?

"Why? If I find all the cards then…"

"You will go find the cards alone when this one card took all four of you to take down?" The principal shouted. The old man looked more like a worried parent than angry.

"But I have dealt…"

"Do not misunderstand. I know that you're the most experienced when it comes to those cards but after dealing with your so called 'Caster' I will only be confident if you will at least take Archerko and Louise with you."

The principal read Colbert's report on how Caster was dealt with. The report contained information on Archerko's skill of creating her own reality and Louise's improvement on using Void Magic (even though she was still unfamiliar with Void Magic itself).

"Even then… if you take them with you, you're still not prepared for such a journey." The principal who took walked around the room finally reached his seat again and took it.

"…"

Bazett was silent. Even though in reality, Lancer was responsible for defeating Caster it's still true that without everybody's help to weaken the Leviathan, Caster would've won and destroyed the entire academy.

"However inside Miss Valliere has a potential. A potential so great that it's a legend in our history."

The old man tossed an old brown book on the table in front of Bazett. The book was entitled 'The Void Magic'. Bazett carefully opened the book to see what it was all about. She was curious on what 'potential' Louise was hiding. The first page tells of the history of the world a few millennia ago and the people who resided in it.

"The world was made of five elements: water, earth, fire, air and void." Bazett read it aloud.

The enforcer was quickly confused with the existence of the fifth element called void. During her stay in this world she had seen mages that used fire, some used water, others used air, some controlled air and some were proficient with more than one element of the four mention however she has never seen 'void' before.

"Excuse me but what's this fifth element?" Bazett asked.

"This world could not be made with just harmony between the four elements. There was another element, the element of void. The void element had many uses to it all are superior to that of the four elements. Those who have talent to wield the void element are called Void Magicians."

"Void Magicians… are you implying that Louise is a magician of this ancient element?" Bazett was quick to return to the main topic.

"Have you ever wondered why Louise could not master any of the four elements? Why her simplest fire spell turns into a catastrophic explosion? It's because she was never meant to learn them. She's not compatible of any of the four elements."

"Now that I think about it…"

Bazett flashbacked unto those moments when she saw Louise cast an irregular spell where her wand flickers in bright white light and in its wake would always be destruction. Was that the void element? That white light? Is the void element only capable of destroying things? If that's the case then it's not going to help much.

"If this void element you speak off is the random bursts of energy Louise uses then I'm afraid that it's not enough to…"

"You underestimate the void element too much young one."

The principal interrupted. The old man turned the book to a certain page for Bazett. The page was filled with numerous accounts of a Void Magician's abilities.

"Void Magicians differ in their abilities; some are capable of teleportation, absolute destruction and even dimension connection."

Bazett read. She looked up at the principal upon reading 'dimension connection'. It sounded so weird yet familiar.

"What does Dimension Connection mean?" Bazett knew the meaning of the words but she needed to confirm it to the principal.

"Oh, that… I remember that a void magician from a millennium ago was able to create some sort of wormhole to another place. Some witnesses said the world on the other side of that hole was completely different. The void magician was capable of traveling to that other place then back here."

Principal Osborn stood up again and searched his bookshelf for the book that had a detailed account of the magician. He found it two old books. The book looked older than the book he gave earlier to Bazett. He tossed it at the enforcer hoping that it would help satisfy her curiosity.

The enforcer helped herself eagerly to the book. There she saw accounts of a magician in that world who truly had the power to jump between dimensions. If a Void Magician is capable of such a feat then it's possible the Void Magician Louise Valliere also has that potential. A smile appeared on Bazett's face.

"Lancer, it looks like we have found a way to return to our world." She turned to the man in Hawaiian shirt who looked bored having to listen to them.

"I don't want to discourage you but it took that magician 40 years to be able to use dimension magic. I'm not sure Miss Valliere can…" The principal read Bazett's mind. It was clear that Bazett was thinking of using Louise to return to her own world.

"She can. With our help I'm sure she will awaken her own potentials. Then I'm sure, facing the wrath of the cards in our journey she will have to get stronger one way or another. Okay principal, I agree. We'll wait for Miss Valliere to learn more about her void magic before we decide on finding the other cards."

"I'm glad you saw it my way."

Principal Osborn nodded with a sigh of relief. Since the last few days, people have ignored his advice and gone about with their own path so it's refreshing for someone to finally agree with him.

"Hopefully, the cards don't run into us while we do our best not to run into them…"

* * *

><p>Three days later.<p>

Louise, Archerko and Siesta left early in the morning to travel to a nearby port. Apparently the party will be held in a castle located on an isolated Island in Tristanian Territory nearest the land of Albion. They took a carriage which was designed to hold at least four people and runs with four horses. Upon arriving at the port Louise hesitated to step in the Noble Carrack, which was designated to take her to the island.

Louise felt restless. She planned Archerko's disguise as a man but she wasn't sure if it would work. In fact she's currently shaking, thinking that she might become an even bigger laughing stock if they find out Archerko is actually a girl. If that happened, her family's reputation might drop down a sinkhole and who knows if her parents and sisters wouldn't kill her for it, figuratively speaking of course.

"Calm down Louise… this was your plan…"

Archerko sighed. This time, for the party, she's wearing a Cotton Gothic Chevalier Shirt with an open collar as a part of the design. Under it she wore a white cotton turtleneck undershirt to hide the bandages wrapped around her breasts. She wore a classic Flax Pants Trousers that was a little baggy at the middle but closes tightly around the ankles. She had her silver hair in a bun and a black cabby hat on.

"I- I'm not panicking…" said Louise. The mage was wearing what she showed Archerko three days back.

"I think Miss Archerko looks dashing in that outfit."

Siesta interrupted with the intention of raising Louise's confidence in her own plan. Siesta herself was wearing a new outfit. What replaced her maid uniform werea Medieval Red Dress and an Underdress Garb and a Corset under it.

After a few pat-on-the backs Louise finally led the group inside the Carrack; the Carrack is a small ship about one fourth the size of a modern day cruise ship. In Louise's world, this ship is used to transport nobles via water channels. This Carrack had an elegant design of Tristania's emblem and banner which was a little worrying because those made it look sort of like a warship.

Inside the Carrack the crew greeted the noble and her escorts. They all bowed down as the three crossed the red carpet they prepared that led all the way to their room.

"Welcome to my humble Carrack Miss Valliere."

The person who seemed to be the Captain of the ship bowed in front of the three.

"A-and of course her dashing boyfriend… err…"

The captain looked confused while he observed the slender young man in front of him. He didn't recognize the features of the boy to any noble he knew… and he knew a lot.

"My name is Shirouko. Shirouko Emilya." Archerko gave a 'false' name.

"T-the Emilya clan? My words I'm sorry but I don't think I have yet to…"

"My clan is relatively new." Archerko immediately gave an excuse.

"The Emilya clan serves directly under her Highness the Queen Henrietta." Louise interrupted.

"A-ah! Is that so? F-forgive my rudeness then monsieur."

The captain bowed down apologetically. His forehead was drenched in sweat as if he was thrown in a sweat-room and left to rot, after all no one even a noble can afford to anger a Valliere.

"That was harsh of you Louise." Archerko whispered.

"Nonsense… I didn't fire him did I?" Louise replied.

The room especially reserved for them was a wonder to behold. Inside was a large round bed which was designed for couples to use, if you know what I mean. The room was decorated in golden linen and silver linings. The curtains were made of fine silk and the windows had the best view of the ocean. Beside the bed were expensive looking wooden drawers and bed tables. A couple of feet at the right side of the bed was a huge mirror on a makeup table supplied with the best perfumes, lipsticks and makeups. On the far left was the bathroom and on its right was the main dresser which too were supplied with different clothing.

"This is quite the expensive boat…" Archerko said.

"It's not just a boat… at least give it some more worth…" Louise corrected Archerko

"It's not like it's going to take overnight to get there… why get one with a bed?"

Archerko felt that Louise was just wasting money. Probably because of she lived with Shirou, Saber and the others she valued money more than she did before.

"Why not? When we get to the island a lot of nobles will come to greet us immediately. We have to look our best even in such an early stage of the event." Louise explained.

The mage had a serious look on her face. To her, events like these are not merely social parties but a battle. Most nobles use these events to get the drop on other nobles or to get closer with the royal highness.

"Speaking of Royalty… is Princess Henrietta coming?" Archerko asked.

She remembered that Henrietta loved being with Louise. It's not surprising if Henrietta would join this event just to be with Louise some more. Of course, together with Henrietta would be Agnes the Knight Captain. She wondered if that tomboy would invite her to another sparring. This time though she would be happier to just chat because fighting in such a choking outfit is not her style at all.

"She should be…"

Louise replied with a sad expression on her face.

"You don't sound thrilled that she is…"

Archerko noticed the frown on her master's cheeks. She wondered what could be causing it. For some reason she just didn't want to see her smile turned upside down anymore.

"The princess was close with to Prince Wales, the last remaining Royalty of Albion."

Louise began to explain with a sour face.

"Really? I thought the princess had the eyes for you…" Archerko scratched her head and gave out a forced laugh.

"…"

Louise just looked at Archerko with an annoyed expression. Archerko immediately knew that she was in for a serious discussion.

"They're cousins…" Louise said this frankly.

"Oh is that right… oh… oh…"

At that point it was clear as day what was wrong with that arrangement. A relationship between two girls is one thing and probably forgivable but between two cousins is something more discriminated by society. Now she understands why Louise was so troubled. Having to bear looking at those two while knowing that they probably can never be together must be hard.

"Each year, she takes the prince with her to the party with the excuse that 'Royalty must find the best partner and until then only her cousin can suffice.'"

"Then… some of her subjects probably have that idea that they're…"

Archerko imagined a dozen of people staring at the two royalties as they passionately danced. It's unbelievable that none of them would at least suspect that the two were a pair.

"Yes, it's true. I've heard of some nobles talk behind her back. They do have that notion that the princess and the Prince of Albion are going out but they're all too busy sucking up to the throne."

Louise remembered how some of the nobles would smile and laugh while Henrietta had her back turned. It was almost how unbearable to watch how they praise her when she's sitting on the throne while they play their roles as loyal subjects.

"Politics…" Archerko raised her hands to the level of her ears.

Knock knock

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

"We're about to depart Miss Valliere." One of the crew men said.

"Okay please make sure that we get there safely." Louise replied.

"By the way where's my room?" Siesta who noticed that there was only one bed fit for two asked.

"Just stay with us it's not going to be an overnight trip." Archerko suggested while she sat with Louise on the bed.

"Okay then…"

The playful Siesta jumped on the bed, hugged Archerko and pulled her down to lay with her.

"H-hey what do you think you're doing you filthy maid!" Louise was shocked to see another woman hug her familiar and share a bed.

"I'm serving the person who will be my master for the next three days of course…"

Siesta started to loosen Archerko's shirt while wearing a mischievous smile. Then to make matters worse just as Louise was about to blow her temper the maid decided to be a total prick and bite gently on Archerko's left ear.

"Ghnn!" Archerko whimpered a bit, blushing as Siesta's lips sunk on her earlobe.

"Y-you filthy idiots!" Louise grabbed her wand hidden inside her luggage.

"Oh my god Louise we're on a boat!"

Archerko sat up to stop Louise while Siesta giggled. The maid apparently enjoyed watching Louise get jealous and decided to trigger that switch.

"I told you! It's a ship!" Louise growled.

"Ahhh!"

Archerko watched in horror as she saw Louise's hand swing the wand.

Meanwhile not too far away in the island where the mansion where the party will be held.

"Mister Wardes, your tea sir?" One of the butlers in the mansion offered a cup of tea to a man wearing a medeval violet tunic. The man had long silver hair, silver mustache and beard.

"Thank you. When will the party start?" Wardes asked while he took a sip from the hot tea.

"Not until seven more hours sir."

The butler replied after looking at his pocket watch.

"Then you would excuse me. I will be taking a look around the island while we wait."

"Certainly sir. Would you like a tour guide to go with you sir?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

Wardes tossed a gold coin at the man to serve as his tip before going outside where his own servant was waiting. The man had a box which was sealed with chains and locks.

"Is that the card?" Wardes asked with a grin on his face.

"Yes sir." The servant nodded as he offered to give Wardes the box.

"Excellent… I have a feeling that this party will be something the Kingdoms of Albion and Tristania will commemorate." Wardes laughed sinisterly while walking with his servant in the hall leading outside the mansion.

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><p>AN: that's it for now, keep em' reviews comming!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Void Bladeworks**

**(A Zero no Tsukaima and Fate / Stay Night crossover)**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: seriously no one's bored writing this every time?<br>**

**AN : dun dun dun here comes the next chapter  
><strong>

**Zaralann: thanks for the review!  
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**Dragfire: ecchi scene is only for that chapter, back to action on this one~  
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**MWkillkenny84: Lol, Avengers. Let's just see what'll happen next shall we =]  
><strong>

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><p>"Gentlemen! Presenting Miss Louise Francoise LeBlanc de la Valliere and her escort Mister Shirouko Emilya!"<p>

A butler introduced the two new comers in the ball to the small audience of guests.

Louise and Archerko entered the room from a huge door south of the room. Louise had her left arm around Archerko's right arm as they walked down a small flight of stairs. Siesta walked behind them as their maid. Everybody was looking at them. Some of the onlookers were smiling in adoration to see the two look so good together while there were some who had frowns on their faces for they expected Louise to come alone again.

"Who is he? I haven't heard of him before!"

One of the noble ladies there who would rather make an enemy out of Louise than a friend grunted angrily.

"Probably some commoner folk she had to reward to come just to not look bad." One of that girl's friends added.

"He is so dreamy…" A girl from the opposite side of the room sighed while she admired the charming face of the princely boy Louise had with her.

"Hey! I'm your boyfriend damn it stop looking at other men with those lustful eyes!" That girl's boyfriend growled angrily as he turned her away from Louise's direction.

Louise decided to ignore all the comments, both positive and negative and walked forward with Archerko. Even though the party was just starting she was all too excited to go back to the academy but that's impossible since they had to stay there for three days with this being the first.

"This is quite grandeur…" Archerko said as she surveyed the room.

The room was filled with light illuminated from golden chandeliers which were lit with power of magic. The room was big, almost exactly as big as a soccer field. The ceiling was supported by sixteen pillars: five pillars for each of the longer side of the triangular room while there were three pillars each to support the shorter sides. There were two long tables that stretched across the entire length of the room, or rather there were eight tables joined together to look like two long tables. The tables were decorated heavily with expensive silk to act as their cover and some expensive silverware which were literally made in gold and silver.

On top of the table were delicacies that suited nobles from around the continent. There were roasted pigs, some cocktails, some salad, some turkey, and some food from anywhere you can think of. Having anticipated that guests will have different appetites the host took all the trouble to research the culture of different clans in the continent. Even the design of the mantles that draped the tables matched the culture of the food sitting on top of it.

"If you think this is grand, you should come to a party the Princess hosts." Louise joked and smiled at Archerko. For some reason talking to Archerko like this eases her worries a bit.

Archerko surveyed the people in the castle. They were all wearing such flashy attires. The common color the people loved to wear was the color purple. Archerko understood why. Even in her home world, purple denoted fortune and royalty. That's why in games, those who actually buy added contents choose to have their names dyed in color purple.

Up north Archerko noticed a stage filled violinists and flutists. It seemed that choirs are not missing in this world. Of course they would be familiar of music even though she has yet to see a guitar or a piano which were the most common in her world. They were playing a gentle tune to soothe the guests who just arrived there after a moderately long travel.

Louise continued to walk with Archerko. She noticed some young girls eye her escort with gleaming eyes. She felt kind of proud to be seen holding arms with such a charming person. This is the first time people looked at her with such envy, apart from those who just looked at her for being a Valliere.

"There you are Louise, I'm so glad that you could join us."

A noble lady about Louise's age approached them. She was wearing a violet one piece dress with frilly sleeves. Unlike Louise who tried to keep it simple this girl was wearing a ton load of trinkets ranging from golden earrings, necklaces and golden rings with diamond gems. Other than that she was also pretty arrogant on how she talked while she proudly displayed those proud overly developed breasts of hers.

Beside the lady was her escort. A boy with short golden hair wearing something that looked like blue tux. He had a sword sheathed around his waist while wearing a smug grin on his face.

"And who is this?" The lady turned to Archerko.

"I'm sorry Silvia but didn't the butler announce our names?" Archerko asked sarcastically.

"_This must be one of those girls Louise mentioned._" Archerko clicked her tongue. She too was getting pissed with this lady in front of them.

"That's a sharp tongue you have. It's sad your magic isn't as sharp."

Silvia insulted Louise before laughing mockingly to be heard by everyone near her.

"I heard you summoned a commoner for a familiar how pitiful!" She continued to mock the other mage.

Louise already had her hand in a fist before Archerko stepped forward.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Shirouko Emilya. It's truly an honor to meet someone as elegant as you."

Archerko said this with hardened voice and utmost politeness. She extended her hand to offer the lady a kiss on her hand.

"Ah someone who knows class when they see one. I am not sure what you saw on that failure but you seem civilized."

The lady stretched gave Archerko her hand which she expected to be kissed. Archerko received her hand with her own right hand and touched her sleeve gently.

"_Trace… on…_" She murmured to herself.

In an instant, Silvia's clothes were reduced to tatters as parts of it shattered like glass. Bits of clothing were flying everywhere as her now, almost naked body was completely exposed to the public. Everybody was surprised with the sudden explosion of fabric but what was even more surprising was what they saw on Silvia's breasts. Everybody was shocked to see jelly like things resting around the lady's bosom. It was as if they were placed there to shape her chest to her liking under her dress.

"U-U-Uwah!"

Silvia cried as she hid her exposed top in her arms while her date covered her lower part with his own tunic that he just removed. Her face was as red as a rotten tomato while everybody around her was laughing uncontrollably.

"Y-You did this!"

Silvia looked at Archerko with angry eyes. It didn't help that Archerko was still smiling calmly as if she expected it to happen.

"W-wait Arch… err… Shirouko had nothing to do with this. It's all a misunderstanding!"

Louise tried to get in between her familiar and the noble to stop a potential fight. She didn't worry if Archerko could handle herself or not, she already knew that she would make quick work of that idiot with Silvia but she just didn't want to cause a ruckus.

"Behave you!" Louise whispered to her familiar.

"Can't help it… my anti-bitch hormones are tingling..." Archerko smirked.

"Get him!" She ordered her date despite Louise's protest.

The boy left his tunic with Silvia before drawing his sword at Archerko. Everyone in the room backed away from the boy with the blade as he prepared to attack the disguised familiar. Archerko pulled Louise away and stood in front of her with nothing but her hands to face the boy.

"I will teach you to mess with a noble!"

The boy lunged at Archerko aiming to bury his rapier on her chest. His form was average to a trained swordsman but it was mediocre at best to the eyes of a professional. His form in midair left him so many openings and Archerko could've exploited them all so easily. She could've ducked and kicked him under his balls where it would hurt the most, she could've side stepped before countering with a turning long to sweep the boy aside before he can land or she could've simply dragged a table and place it in front of her and let gravity do all the work. But Archerko was a showoff no matter how humble everyone thinks she was, so she slowly raised her hand and waited for the exact moment when she can grab him by the throat and humiliate him.

"Ah!"

The boy got tossed back before Archerko could grab him. The sword of a righteous knight stopped the boy in his tracks before things escalated.

"Eh?"

Archerko turned to see who interrupted their fight.

"Oh… it's you." The familiar smiled, refreshed to see a familiar face other than Louise.

"Shirouko now is it? Well whatever…"

The Knight Captain Agnes grinned before sheathing her sword. She was wearing a black velvet chevalier collared tunic with matching black velvet medeval pants. She turned to the boy who still gripped his sword tightly as the knight approached him.

"You're excitedly gripping your sword? Does that mean you're eager to fight me? Or is that desperation?" The captain asked.

The boy who was thrown back was trembling in front of the captain who repelled him. For a noble, honor is everything. Just now his and his woman's reputation just got soiled and his ego is telling him to do something about it.

"Stand down Captain; I doubt the young man there would want to fight you."

Finally, the person whom the Captain escorted in this ball approached to greet her friend and also to stop the fight. It was Henrietta wearing a beautiful long dress, covered in diamond and other jewelry to match the crown sitting lovely on her head.

"Miss Silvia, not only did you insult my best friend, but you also endangered her life along with everyone else… including mine."

Henrietta sounded pissed as she lectured the shamed noble who was standing behind her date.

"B-but my lady I…"

Silvia's face was stained in panic. In front of her majesty her noble lineage meant nothing. Also she realized that she did indirectly place the Royal Princess' life in danger. That was truly a serious charge: compromising the life of Royalty; the maximum punishment of that sin is death by Tristanian laws.

"My lady I apologize!" Knowing her future if she resisted she desperately prostrated herself in front of the royal highness.

"You can start by asking him to lower his weapon and calm down."The princess pointed at the escort who still grasped his sword tight while trembling in front of the Knight Captain.

"Y-yes my lady! You idiot stop it!"

The girl was relieved to hear that the Royal Highness wasn't going to charge her. She hurriedly stopped her escort and made him lower his weapon. The boy nodded and sheathed his weapon before looking at Archerko who was behind Agnes.

"Consider yourself lucky. If the skillful sword of the Knight Captain did not protect you, your blood would've spilled on this floor." The boy said cockily.

"Protect her… ouch!"

Archerko stepped on the Knight Captain's foot for accidentally saying 'her'. They exchanged weird looks for a few seconds before the captain corrected herself.

"Protect HIM? I'm not sure what you're talking about." Agnes emphasized on 'him' to go with Archerko's demands.

The man left with a troubled face to follow his partner while Agnes was continued to get poked by Archerko for almost blurting out her secret.

"Good afternoon everyone!"

A lady about Louise's age in a one piece pink medeval garb and tunic walked from the front to the center of the room. It seems that she was the host for this party.

"Let's forget about this little incident and continue on with the celebration. Get acquainted and mingle!"

The girl approached her Highness and the group to join them in chatting.

"My dear, go get changed, this isn't a naked party." She whispered to Silvia who took her escort out of the room to save what was left of her dignity.

"Quite the arrangement you've prepared Miss Fayre de la Blancbaston."

Henrietta was the first to talk to the patron of the party. The girl smiled in delight to be complemented by the princess.

"Oh 'tis but a humble gathering of nobles."

The lady noticed Louise and Archerko who were silently looking at her and the princess talk. She approached the Silver-haired prince and the mage with the intention of chatting.

"Louise, so glad you could join us. You look very pretty in that dress and your escort looks so charming. I believe you have the best chance for winning the best couple award."

"Best couple award? We're doing that this year again?"

Louise sighed. She remembered the previous years where the best couple would be called on a stage up north while they were thrown flowers and stuff like they were newlyweds. It would be fine if not for the event that happens next where each of the couples are asked to dance with all of the participants of the opposite sex.

"Care if I join in my ladies?"

The voice of a noble prince entered their conversation from behind Henrietta. Louise and the princess were familiar with the voice while Archerko and Fayre turned to see who it was.

"Wales!" The princess looked awfully happy to see her cousin.

The prince of Albion, Prince Wales Tudor, was wearing a Blue Chevalier's Coat with accolades all over. Unlike the princess he cared not to wear a crown but instead, around his waist was a golden decorative sword.

"Henrietta you look so lovely yet again." The prince admired his cousin's attire.

"Prince Wales it's an honor."

Louise bowed to honor the prince of Albion and she prompted Archerko to do the same. Having no choice in the matter, Archerko just bowed elegantly like a young duke bowing before his king.

"Knight Captain Agnes, I saw what happened. Thank you for stopping that man before he caused more trouble."

The prince tapped Agnes' shoulder who immediately bowed as well.

"It was my duty your Excellency."

The knight captain humbly accepted the praise but was quick to rationalize her actions. She didn't care about accepting complements for heroism when it's merely her job to stop trouble on its root.

"And you are?"

The prince noticed the silver-haired boy who had his hair in a bun. He approached the boy and offered his hand for a hand shake.

"Shirouko Emilya your grace." Archerko accepted the offer and shook the prince's hand.

"You are very pretty for a boy. If I didn't know better I'd say you're a girl in disguise."

The prince said this jokingly before bursting into laughter.

"Ah… y-yeah…"

Archerko and Louise were sweating buckets after that last comment. Henrietta and Agnes were giggling on the other hand. The prince would be shocked to know on how point-on he was to the truth but thank goodness no one would give him that information.

"If Louise has someone as handsome as you then The Griffin Knight Captain Wardes will have competition in his hands."

"Griffin what?" Archerko asked confused.

"Ah you didn't know. Ouch!"

The prince's foot was smashed by Henrietta's pointy heel. She had a stern and dark look on her face which terrified her cousin. The prince's face covered in sweat as he prayed for his life and trembled in front of an angry princess.

"That would be me." Another voice interrupted the group just in time to save the prince.

"…!"

Louise was shocked to see the new comer's face. She had no idea that he was invited. She cringed a bit; it was a bad idea to have brought Archerko here with that man.

"My name is Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes. I'm pleased to meet you."

The man helped himself into the group and offered Archerko a handshake which the latter accepted. The man was wearing a brown hat to go with his silver tunic and grey pants. He had silver hair which only paled a little compared to Archerko's and had silver mustache and beard.

"I can't say that I'm not jealous Louise." Wardes turned to Louise who blushed a little before turning away.

"I…" Louise couldn't look at the man or Archerko in their eyes.

"Ha-ha, don't worry Louise I know how hard it is to contact me because of my job. Otherwise I'm sure you would've asked me."

Wardes gave off another laugh before turning again to Archerko.

"I want to thank you for safely escorting my Louise here. I'm her fiancée." Wardes said this coldly.

"Eh? Fiancée?" Archerko turned to Louise.

"T-that's!" Louise gasped as she tried to explain.

"… Well then I suppose it'd be rude of me to get in between the two of you."

Archerko smiled at Louise before slowly walking away. She didn't say anything but if someone looked closely they were sure to notice her gleaming, watery eyes. She walked casually as if nothing happened and made it look like she was just going to meet some of the other nobles.

"E- Excuse me…"

Siesta who was disappointed at Louise left Louise as well and followed Archerko.

"I… I…" Louise tried to chase after the two but both disappeared in the vastness of the crowd.

"What's wrong Louise?"

The Viscount Wardes held Louise by her hand and pulled her closer.

"Don't tell me that you had feelings for that boy…" Wardes said this in a downhearted tone.

"I…"

Louise was lost on what to say. She paused for a moment before waving her head.

"No… he was just my escort."

Louise felt that she could cry with that lie. She knew deep inside that she loved her familiar but she couldn't betray Wardes who was chosen for her by her parents. She wanted to run, and find her beloved to explain everything and to make things right but she couldn't.

"_Archerko... I…. I'm sorry._" She thought to herself before almost breaking down in tears.

"My Lady, seeing that the Prince Wales is already here… may I…"

"Go Knight Captain Agnes."

Henrietta knew immediately that the captain felt the need to comfort her friend. Agnes slowly walked through the crowd to find the familiar and the maid. She felt sorry for Louise but she felt worse for Archerko.

Meanwhile outside the mansion.

"So you're here." Siesta approached the lady sitting over a cliff while watching the sun set on the sea.

"Ah, Siesta!"

Archerko turned to see Siesta who walked closer and sat beside her.

"What are you doing here? You should be enjoying the party."

Archerko suggested for Siesta to go back in. It's unfair that the maid had to stay with her outside while everybody else was dancing merrily inside.

"I'm a maid; I'm not particularly fond with the extravagant atmosphere inside." Siesta waved her head after she declined Archerko's suggestion.

"That was very surprising though. Who knew that her fiancée would be here?"

Archerko giggled. However, despite her forceful attempts to look cheerful the maid looked at her with pitying eyes.

"Miss Archerko it's fine to be sad when you're sad… you don't have to force yourself to smile." The maid tried to comfort her master for the next three days.

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

Agnes finally found them and decided to join in after eavesdropping for a bit. Her usual cold and serious face looked more sympathetic. Usually this was a sight to behold and Archerko would find it cute but in her current state it was more of an unintended insult.

"When you're hurt you don't have to force yourself to look strong in front of everyone. You're just too cool… rely on others sometimes will you?" Agnes said all these before she sat down beside Archerko opposite of Siesta.

"Eh? So you think I'm cool Captain?" Archerko sheepishly asked.

"W-well…"

The knight captain blushed and for a moment there she wished she didn't say what she just did. Ever since her fight with Archerko and after witnessing her abilities in the mansion, there was no moment that she didn't think Archerko was not cool.

"See Miss Archerko, why be sad about one washboard when there are two beautiful ladies loving you crazy like this?" Siesta said while she clung around Archerko's left arm.

"Yeah…"

Ten seconds. That was time it took before what Siesta said finally registered in Agnes' brain. Upon realizing what she just agreed to her face swelled bright red as smoke seemed to come out of her ear.

"W-what do you mean loving her crazy?"

Agnes frantically stood up while flailing at Siesta and finally lost all her composure.

"Hey we're on a cliff be careful! It might not be that high but it's still going to hurt!"

Archerko waved her hand to calm the captain. Beneath the cliff were thorn gardens and dead logs. It's impossible to get out of there without having to remove splinters all over your body after.

"By the way Miss Archerko I've been thinking…" Siesta ignored the Captain's tantrums and decided to change the topic.

"Thinking about what? That fatso which tried to hit on you?" Archerko replied.

"No!"

Siesta cried with a disgusted face. Remembering that shameful excuse for a human being was something not pleasant to anyone's palette.

"I was thinking about your ability to summon weapons."

The maid remembered how the familiar conjured dozens of weapons of different varieties in that fight in the manor. All of the weapons came in different sizes, some were human sized, and some were as small as a kitchen knife while some were taller than a human.

"You can levitate them and fire them in different directions. So… I was wondering if maybe you can ride one of them and fly."

"…"

The place was silent for a moment. The two thought about what Siesta just said.

"You know… I haven't really tried to do that…"

Archerko pondered on the theory. In her long years both as a servant and a counter-counter-guardian she has never thought about riding her own weapons. It's probably because they disappeared too fast when she was still too weak. After long years of experience, she's now able to maintain her projections for hours and so that problem is immediately disregarded.

"Why don't we try it?"

Archerko excitedly got off her feet and doubled back to a clearing a few feet away from the cliff. Then she raised her hands with her palms pointing downwards on the ground where she wanted her projection to appear.

"Hey! This is not exactly the best place to invent a new move."

Agnes was with the idea of trying out a flying move but she was against the idea of trying it there. Not too far from them was a noble's vacation mansion and damaging it will prove to be expensive. Not to mention that it would be hard to explain to the Royal Highness if some sort of trouble was to happen.

"Relax. I'm not about to fire something at the mansion. Hmm… what's the best weapon to… aha!"

Archerko imagined the thickest and tallest weapon in her arsenal that she can make a quick replica of. The weapon she imagined was the sword of the most muscular man that was ever summoned to fight in the Holy Grail war. It dwarfed swords and humans as it stood at the height of a staggering ten feet tall and three feet thick. It made a huge thud on the ground as it fell from a feet where it was conjured. Its original's name was The Nine Lives and this was The Nine Lives Replica. As impressive as it sounds, this replica only had the original's looks and none of its abilities because Archerko didn't bother to imbue them with such for it won't be used for fighting, at least not now.

"That's one big sword."

Agnes was astounded at the mere size of the sword. She has seen similar swords wielded by giants but they never had such deadly design.

"Siesta come!"

Archerko reached for Siesta's hand as she stepped on the sword and had it levitate half a feet above into the air. Siesta looked hesitant and scared to get on the sword as she approached Archerko.

"I-is it safe?" Siesta asked with trembling voice.

"This was your idea…"

Archerko reminded Siesta of what the maid said herself just a few seconds ago.

"It's only fair that you try it first along with me."

Archerko pulled Siesta on the sword gently as the maid surrendered her hand.

"Okay let's go!"

The Nine Lives moved slowly from the clearing to the edge of the cliff with Archerko and Siesta on it. It crept into a crawl until it finally left the cliff while levitating ten feet from the ground below. Then after Archerko set its final trajectory the sword zoomed in sub sonic speed.

"Kyahh!"

Siesta shouted as she got blown off the sword. She thought she was going to die but her hand was caught by Archerko who was grinning as she pulled her back.

"Hold on to me tight! As the master of this sword I can have my feet stuck to it like it was nailed." Archerko said cockily.

"T-that sounds painful." Siesta imagined actual nails connecting Archerko's foot and the big sword.

"I'd say glue, but I'm not sure if this world has any…"

After that comeback, she had the sword fly them in sonic speed to the ocean's direction. The wind they generated just by flying was enough have leaves detach from trees and uproot some small plants.

"Hold on tight Siesta!" Archerko suggested.

"W-what are you planning?"

Siesta feared the cockiness in Archerko's tone. When she sounds like that she's usually prepared to show off something spectacular but what's spectacular for Archerko in this height and speed may mean death to Siesta.

"Weeeee!"

With only a little warning, Archerko had the sword rotate and send them whirling upside down.

"Kyahh!"

Siesta squealed as she felt her stomach churn while they spun like a drill in midair. The maid hugged Archerko tightly to cling on dear life.

"M-Miss Archerko you meanie!" The maid cried as tears erupted from her eyes.

"Okay, we're going back…"

Archerko felt that she already tortured Siesta enough and decided that it was time they headed back to Agnes who was still on that cliff. There was only one problem.

"Uh…"

Archerko groaned.

"W-what's the problem?"

Siesta didn't like that groaning sound.

"I don't know how to turn this around…" Archerko replied.

"W-what?" Siesta panicked after hearing that.

"Yep we're probably going to crash somewhere. Let's just hope someone recognizes our dismembered bodies. In this speed I doubt that…"

"Kyahh!"

Siesta cried out loud. The image Archerko was giving her was too much for her to handle.

"A-ha-ha,"

Archerko laughed.

"Relax I have an idea! Now hold on tight!" Archerko commanded.

That cockiness again appeared in Archerko's tone. Siesta prepared herself for another life threatening experience. Was it going to be another spin? Or maybe this time Archerko will have the sword plunge into vertigo and stop only until they're a few inches away from the ground.

"Hyah!"

After she felt Siesta's hands embraced her tight she grabbed the maid by her waist and carried her off before jumping into a back flip twenty feet above the sea.

"Ah!"

Siesta felt weightless as the familiar completed the back flip and begin free falling. Then before they fell down further from the altitude they made the flip, they stopped. She opened her eyes and saw that they were on another sword while the Nine Lives continued to move forward behind them.

"If I can't turn it around we just have to ride another one that goes the opposite direction right?" Archerko explained.

The new conjured sword flew in sub sonic speed with Archerko's command back to the cliff where Agnes was waiting with a look of astonishment on her face.

"That was incredible!"

Agnes praised the familiar who just landed the sword directly on the edge of the cliff before carrying Siesta who didn't look very well and didn't feel very well.

"Flight-sickness?" Agnes asked the maid who was about to throw up over the cliff.

"It's because…"

Siesta tried to say why she felt sick to her stomach but Archerko went in between them and gently touched her lips where the Captain couldn't see.

"Captain, Siesta needs to rest here for a while. It's your turn now. It's unfair for Siesta to be the only one to experience this."

Archerko had a mischievous grin hidden inside that innocent smile she had on her face. She conjured another Nine Lives and offered for the Captain to get on it.

"M-Miss Archerko…" Siesta sighed. She could feel that after that bad experience inside the mansion, Archerko was trying to rub it off by being mischievously playful.

"I… don't…"

"Oh is the Knight Captain afraid of heights?" Archerko taunted the captain.

"No! I've ridden airships before and this one is just a little faster." The captain got on the sword. Unlike Siesta who clung unto Archerko, the captain held hands with the familiar with their palms pushing rubbing against each other like they were in a dance.

"Okay then… Let's make this more interesting…"

With a flick of Archerko's wrist a large bow appeared in front of the sword. Archerko had its string fully pulled until the nine lives they were on looked like an arrow, a very large deadly arrow.

"W-what are you doing you idiot!"

Agnes knew that this wasn't going to be a pleasurable ride. At least not for her. She remembered how fast Archerko's arrows traveled. To fly at that same speed is just asking for injuries and a death sentence.

"This is a larger version of the bow I use for my Caladbolg II… now let's get going~!"

"N-no! Siesta help me! Get me down from here!" The captain struggled.

"Testalapolca!" Archerko shouted a completely random word as she fired them off in Mach 1 speed (390m/s).

"Gyahh!" The knight captain's screams echoed in the ocean as they quickly disappeared into the horizon.

Three hours after lunch, where many exquisite delicacies where served, it was finally the time for the merriment to push on. Everyone eagerly gathered near the stage up north for a show as the host of the party took the stage.

"I would like to give my thanks to everyone who had to leave their busy lives just to come to my party. It's my honor to host this year's annual party. Now without further ado let's go to the part we all love best! The couple dancing competition." She cheered before she was escorted off the stage by her date.

Every year, a competition is always held in the annual parties. Depending on the kinds of guests in the party they change the kind competition. If more than 70% are mages then they usually held magic talent competitions and if more than 70% are warriors then they hold friendly swordfight competitions with wooden swords. However, if they couldn't reach the deciding number of 70% then a dance competition is held.

"So how's the dance competition going to be held?" One of the nobles asked.

"It's going to be boring if we just watch one couple dance after another so we decided that everybody should have a go at it."

Maids and butlers proceeded to clear the floor after a snap from her fingers. The audience who were escorted unto a balcony watched as the place they stayed on was completely transformed into a medeval dance stage. They laughed and mingled as the white collared works labored into transforming the concrete floor into a shiny dance floor.

"Dancing has always been a good measure of a noble's integrity." One of the nobles who was confident with her skills was quick to talk with her peers.

"When I'm not busy improving my skills I'm always polishing my Waltz." Another girl replied to elevate herself.

"Waltz? That's such a waste of your time girl."

The first girl sneered at her counterpart.

"Polka is what really matters."

She blatantly paraded her skill in front of the other girl with a swing and a turn.

"Not bad, but this will be a couple dance. Are you that confident with your partner? I'll have you know that my partner the son of a duke in Western Tristania is a champion in his town."

All of a sudden the second girl had her chest up high while the other was a crest fallen. It seemed that she wasn't confident with her pick.

"W-Well I'm confident that the judges will love me enough to win for the both of us!"

The first girl stretched her hands beside her hips with while her tensed body trembled.

"Fat chance!" The second girl laughed before she noticed a pink haired girl caught her attention that was leaning on a wall behind the Captain of the Griffin Knights Wardes.

Louise looked depressed as Wardes mingled with another man while they waited. Her eyes were nailed on the ground while her cheeks continued to drop.

"_Arch…" _She murmured to herself.

"Hey that Louise Valliere, I've never seen her dance before. Think she's good?"

The second girl whispered to her chat mate. She was worried that the Valliere would be a threat to her in the competition.

"I doubt it. I heard she only practiced magic throughout her teenage life." The first whispered. She was very careful not to be heard by the elite noble who was very close to royalty.

"T-then she must be really good with the…"

"No, I heard that she never managed to master even one element." The girl snickered.

"Eh?" The other girl said out loud.

"S-Shh! She'll hear you!"

While some of the girls in the premises were busy talking about themselves and backstabbing their peers Louise was too busy feeling down to notice everything. In her mind right now she wondered if she really wanted to dance with Wardes. She convinced herself that everything she decides on is for the reputation of her beloved family. Despite her success with Archerko her failure to master any of the elements makes her think of her worth. Will a failure of a mage like her amount to something else if she didn't marry into another powerful noble house?

"Louise."

Wardes who just finished mingling with a man in tight suit approached his fiancée. He had a smug look on his face which he quickly brushed off to replace with his 'smiling' charismatic face.

"The dance is about to start. It would be my honor if you would compete in this with me."

Wardes offered to take Louise's hand to take her to the dance floor. Louise reluctantly took his hand and allowed him to lead her there. Everybody looked at her with anticipation. The atmosphere were divided into a feeling of anxiousness and indifference. Some were anxious to find out what the Valliere could do while some were waiting for her to fail.

"I…" Louise wanted to back out for a moment but she was pulled entirely to the center of the floor.

"Okay everyone let's get this going!" The host clapped her hands and a band of five people with stringed instruments entered to act as the choir for everybody.

There were three judges watching the floor. They were all instructors of the dance and some of them were notorious for being very strict. However, this is a party so they were asked to wear a more gentle personality. They normally intimidate dancers with their piercing glares even before the contest starts but today they were all smiles and cheers.

At the sound of the first tune everybody took the hands of their partners and started to gently sway to follow the rhythm. Most of the couples decided to play safe and went with the Waltz and the Foxtrot. The girls had their escorts gently hold them around their waists as they competed for the hearts of the judges. There were some who were cocky enough to try their luck with a different dance like the Tango which needed more space and practice. Quite a few even tried the doubled Samba but had a harder time because of the slower beat the band had best for Waltz and the Foxtrot.

Louise who was least enthusiastic than everyone in the room opted for the simple Waltz with Wardes. Their faces were close to each other but not once did Louise set her eyes on her partner's face. Even when they reached the swing her body moved too stiff for a proper turn.

"What's the matter Louise?"

Wardes asked after he noticed the lack of attention Louise was giving to their dance. He had a disappointed tone in his voice but he continued to wear a smile on his face.

"We won't win this way."

"It's just that I haven't danced in a long time." Louise lied.

"Oh… I guess it's understandable since you've been working hard on your academics." Wardes replied.

"Everyone's doing great!"

The host cheered and encouraged her guests. No matter what, she decided that her party will be a hit.

"Princess Henrietta is looking especially divine with Prince Wales; I think they already started to sweep the competition." She said out loud with every intention to get the Royal highness' attention.

"Did you hear that darling?"

Prince Wales softly whispered to Henrietta's left ear as they swung romantically across the dance floor. Both of them had a loving gaze for each other while they enjoyed each other's company.

"It's all because of you my Prince." Henrietta blushed as she praised her lover.

After a few minutes of slow dancing, except for those who decided to go with the lively Tango, everybody was already halfway towards giving up. They didn't know how they were to be judged so all they could do was continue to move gracefully around the dance floor.

Thirty minutes more, and finally Fayre speaks up.

"Okay the elimination begins now. Whoever will get hit by one of the judges' harmless illumination spells please leave the dance floor." Fayre announced.

The rules were simple. If you get hit by a spell it means you lose and you're out.

Twenty seconds after that announcement. The woman judge sitting at the middle of the other two took her wand and shot a homing ball of yellow light at a couple clumsily prancing at the back of the room. The yellow light was so bright that everyone was surprised before the two people were escorted out of the floor and to the balcony by some maids and butlers.

"That's one!"

Fayre cheered and laughed.

"It doesn't matter if you're in the furthest back part of the room. Our judges are professionals."

After seeing how the first elimination went, Louise wished that the next ball of light would hit her. She rather get humiliated for losing in a dancing competition than feel the way she currently did.

Not long after the first, more of the guests were hit with illumination balls from the judges. It didn't take an hour until only seven pairs were remaining. Louise was surprised that she was still in the competition. She wondered if it was because she was a Valliere and the judges were intimidated to take her out, or because of Wardes who was largely popular for his status as Griffin Knights Captain.

"Finally we're down to the final four!"

Fayre announced as nobles who watched on the balcony clapped and pretended to care. In reality most on the balcony felt bitter that they were not chosen to be a part of the last four.

"Louise we might actually win this."

Wardes smiled at his partner who reluctantly returned the smile.

"You were good with the Mambo before. Let's go with that!"

Wardes decided to kick things up a notch. The Mambo is one of the most sensual and emotional ballroom dances. Swaying hip movements, facial expressions, arm movements and holds all add to the sensuality of the dance. It's legendary in competitions for it has won four of the last seven parties in a row.

"W-Wait I!"

Louise gasped. She wasn't sure if she could follow Wardes in her current state. Since Mambo is very emotional, whatever problems the dancer has internally can affect her dance exponentially.

Wardes pulled Louise closer to start the passionate and flirtatious dance. Every part of the Mambo is energetic, and almost explosive if you will so Wardes started with so much vigor. After pulling Louise who beautifully swung in his arms he immediately flung her back while his hands secured a part of her wrist.

"Magnificent Louise! You're as good as four years ago! No, maybe even better." Wardes encouraged his partner as he continued to lead in the high-energy-level dance.

At this point, even the three contestants, including the Princess of Tristain and the Prince of Albion were looking at Louise with so much awe. The pink-haired mage looked so much like a priceless doll while she was led on by the Griffin Knights Captain.

After a long whirl and a turn, the two reached a step where Wardes had Louise laying backwards in his arms while he leaned forward with one knee slightly bent. It was almost like he was picking up a sleeping beauty by her waist as she slumbered.

The three judges had big smiles on their faces. They were almost nearly ready to declare the two as the winner of the competition. It's too bad that the rules forbade them to do just that for they need to eliminate everybody until only two were left.

"You're very beautiful Louise… I am so honored and I am so eager to have you as my bride soon." Wardes whispered to his partner as they extended the dip step.

"I…"

Louise's eyes watered as she heard that.

"W-What do you mean?" Louise asked while she recovered from the 'dip' and continued to swing with Wardes.

"You didn't know? Your family and mine decided to have our marriage next week." Wardes whispered.

"Huh?"

Louise's eyes widened. Not only did she not hear about that news before, she also did not want to hear it. Her engagement with Wardes was never her choice. She was never able to disobey her parents on what they choose but she found satisfaction on thinking that the day she marries Wardes will still be a decade from now. Hearing that she will be chained to the man she never had feelings for in a week made her heart shatter like a crystal of snow in a sad winter.

"E-excuse me!" Louise cried.

Wardes was about to set Louise for another deep 'dip' but to his surprise, the mage pushed him away. She paused looking at him while stepping back before she ran away while pulling up her skirt to avoid stepping on it.

"Louise!"

Wardes shouted and tried to reach out his hand to grab Louise but it was too late. He was left standing on the center of the dance floor while the three remaining couples continued to dance after a short pause. He watched Louise disappear out the door. Everybody in the balcony gasped in wonder what just happened while Henrietta worried for her friend.

"Prince Wales…" She attempted to talk to her partner.

"You want to go after your friend?"

The Prince of Albion smiled at the Princess.

"I know you're worried for her but believe me when I say that it's best to leave her alone for now. " The prince suggested.

"… Um." Henrietta nodded.

"Besides, from the looks of that boy earlier, what was his name? Shirouko Emilya? I don't think she'll need us." The prince giggled as he swung his partner for a beautiful turn.

Meanwhile outside the castle, a maid was waiting for the two people she was with not too long ago. She stood on the cliff while eyeing the horizon for signs of Archerko and Agnes. A break in the bushes broke her concentration. A white figure appeared from the bushes. The figure is that of a crying girl who looked like she was running away from something.

"M-Miss Louise!" Siesta said aloud.

The maid had a surprised look on her face as her master appeared before her with eyes all red in tears. Siesta took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped some of the dust and tears off Louise's face.

"S-Siesta… Archerko… where is she?" Louise asked.

The mage looked for her familiar who she expected to be around Siesta. However only Siesta was on that hill with the only the plants and the rocks to accompany her.

"She's with Captain Agnes…" Siesta replied.

"Where are they?" Louise continued to ask.

"Well…" Siesta explained to Louise about Archerko's new found ability to ride her summoned weapons. She told Louise every detail on how it felt riding with Archerko on one of her swords.

"Are they coming back?"

Louise hesitantly asked this question with pitiful face and a lonely tone. She thought that maybe her familiar left her for what she did. While it's true that it hasn't even been a year since they met she felt devastated to have Archerko hear that she had a fiancée.

"When Miss Archerko took me for a ride, it only took a while. But I think Miss Archerko intends to play with Knight Captain first before they return. I think Miss Agnes is probably facing a near death experience just about now."

Siesta imagined Archerko tossing Agnes off the sword only to catch the knight after she falls a couple of a hundred meters. The captain would be screaming in despair while begging for mercy and Archerko would be mercilessly controlling the broom in a deathly spiral.

"I… I see…"

Louise twitched her eye weirdly after hearing that.

"Well I guess it won't matter since she probably hates me now." Louise said with a voice filled with regret and self-pity.

"I don't think Miss Archerko hates you Miss Valliere. I don't think that she knows how it is to hate." Siesta replied to try to comfort her master.

"Look out below!"

A voice called out to them. They looked up to see a girl tightly hugged by another girl as they dashed downwards from a height thirty feet higher from the ten feet hill Siesta and Louise were standing on.

"Y-You idiot you'll pay for this!" Agnes cursed as she tightened her embrace around Archerko's waistline.

Siesta pulled Louise away to give Archerko a clear landing path.

"You better make sure that you grab on tight enough!" Archerko had a grin on her face as they approached the landing zone.

"S-slow down! We're about to land so slow down!" Agnes cried.

"Ahaha~!" Archerko laughed playfully while she continued to plunge downward.

"Ahhh!" Agnes cried out loud as her tears were swept away by the wind's friction brushing against her face.

A large thud echoed across the hill after the sword crashed and pierced through a couple of centimeters through the rocky soil. Smoke and dust covered the area leaving bystanders wondering what happened to the two passengers of the flying sword.

"Miss Archerko!" Siesta worried rushed to the scene as the smoke started to clear.

"I won my Captain."

Archerko was seen standing on the hilt of the claymore with the Knight Captain in her hands whom she carried like a princess in distress. She had a smug look on her face as she teased the trembling captain.

"G-get off!"

Agnes struggled and pushed Archerko off the sword. The knight fell on the ground and sat up before catching her breath. She was all pale and sweaty as if she just met a ghost.

"So how many times did you change swords this time?" Siesta asked a question aimed at Archerko.

"I don't know… I guess one or two…" Archerko shrugged.

"One or two?"

Agnes shouted and stood up looking really angry.

"Seventeen times! You dropped and caught me seventeen times!" She roared.

"But you said you could take it."

Archerko moved forward and leaned forward at the Knight Captain.

"What should I take for winning?" Archerko asked teasingly.

"W-wait we never agreed on a bet!" Agnes protested.

"Hmm… I'd like a mansion, or a million gold, but you know what I really want?"

Archerko moved behind the captain and romantically hugged her from behind. She teasingly crept her hands around the captain's sensitive parts. Agnes whimpered as she felt Archerko's touch. She wanted to push her away but for some reason all her strength seemed to be a thing of the past.

"Maybe I should ask for the Captain's virginity?" Archerko whispered to Agnes' left ear.

"A-ah…"

Agnes remembered the bet they had which she lost. 'A night of sinful pleasure' was the bet Archerko wanted and she has still yet to pay that. She wondered if this was Archerko's way of collecting her dues.

"I…"

Boom!

"Uwah!"

The captain was about to say something when they were interrupted with a blast of energy that destroyed the sword they were standing on. Only the hilt remained and a small portion of the blade which was still stuck under the top soil.

"Y-You harlot!" Louise cried as she spammed spells at the familiar who just leapt away from the captain to avoid getting her caught in the cross fire.

"Louise what are you doing here? Is the party finished?" Archerko asked as she landed on the ground. She wore a smile as she approached Louise who looked mad and tearful.

"Y-You're supposed to be my escort… why weren't you dancing with me?" Louise cried as she dived into Archerko's arms.

Archerko caught her master gently in her arms. She wanted to hug her but she couldn't bring herself to wrap her arms around the mage. Even though she persistently said that she was fine, she wondered if she knew how she really felt. She was happy that Louise had someone special to care for her but for some reason she could not bring herself to smile about it. The fake smile she always wore quickly melts into a frown in her heart especially now as Louise pounded on her chest.

"Did that Wardes guy leave you?"

Archerko asked. Her hand quickly turned into a fist as she formed scenarios on how Wardes abandoned Louise.

"If he did something then I…"

"It's not him you idiot! It's you! Where were you?" Louise cried and looked like a child complaining to her parents for not coming to a 'bring your parents to class' day.

"But Louise I…"

Archerko was about to say 'you already have Wardes until she got cut off by the mage again.

"It has to be you!"

Louise shouted before giving Archerko's wrapped chest another loud thud.

"It hurt a lot! When I was in his arms it felt cold. Everything felt cold!"

Louise remembered the cold stares everyone inside gave her. With Archerko around it was bearable but it wasn't the same when she was with Wardes. She felt vulnerable and lonely.

"I- I'm sorry…"

Archerko realized then that she wasn't the only one suffering. She felt miserable that Louise never told her about a fiancée but she didn't consider how Louise felt about it. She slowly closed her arms around Louise's shoulders and pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry…"

The familiar repeated her words. She realized that by leaving Louise alone in the castle because of her own selfish feelings of jealousy she wasn't able to protect her.

"I need you by my side… never leave me again…" Louise whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"I!"

Archerko gasped and blushed. To know that Louise still needs her to be by her side felt blissful for someone who dedicated their life to serve and protect. Now she understands that it's not only Louise's physical body she had to protect but also her heart.

"I was nothing but a fake hero that failed to protect anything. But maybe it's time to properly resign from that job. I am now an original familiar that will protect your everything." Archerko whispered this directly to Louise so that only she may hear.

"A-Archerko…"

Louise looked up to her familiar. That alluring face easily erased her worries as if they never existed. In the spur of the moment the two of them began to close on each other's lips almost like magnets begging to be with each other.

"G-Ghnn!" Agnes gasped then looked away after seeing the two's lips collide.

"M-Mouh…"

Siesta groaned then frowned.

"I'm so jealous. But I'm happy the two of them finally made up." She said to Agnes who was still blushing as she imagined what the two are currently doing behind her.

"D-Disgusting!" Agnes said.

Meanwhile inside the mansion, the dance competition reached its finale. In the end, the Princess and the Prince won. Nobody dared to ask if they won due to skill or because the judges were too scared of the guillotine.

"It was truly an honor to see how the royalty dances. Your highness and Prince Wales truly are in a different league." Fayre praised the two royalties with spicy words.

"A-ah well…"

Henrietta scratched her head. She felt undeserving of the win but on the other hand she must accept it.

"Please forgive my cousin for she's a woman of few words." The prince of Albion stepped forward to give a speech in behalf of them both.

"Wales..." She said in a loving voice.

"I would like to thank everyone who shared this experience with us. Competing with everyone and seeing everyone dance their best is an honor for us." The prince said loudly.

"That was truly a marvelous speech now for the prize of the winners!" Fayre snapped her fingers and two servants took a pillow which had a box resting on top of it.

Meanwhile, in the audience, Wardes was with a man disguised as one of the servants of the mansion. He had a grin on his face as he watched the two servants bring the box to the stage.

"Tell the men to get ready, the moment that box opens is the moment we change Tristania and Albion forever." He commanded.

The servant in disguise nodded and hurried outside. Wardes himself was eager to watch his plan unfold.

"A box?" The Prince of Albion asked with a rather cheerful tone.

The box was designed beautifully by a master craftsman and the color was designed to fit kings and nobles. It was easy to assume that whatever is inside is a gift that's no less than the worth of gold and diamond.

The prince opened the box carefully, for he did not want to accidentally spill whatever it is inside.

"A card?" Prince Wales asked Fayre who was standing beside him and Henrietta.

"W-What? That was supposed to be a bracelet of gold with different jewels!"

Fayre rushed to check the box. She was surprised to see that the prince was saying the truth. The bracelet that her family had prepared for the winner of the competition is gone. In place of it was a card of intricate design.

"I- I'm sorry my prince I don't know what…"

"Oh come now, I like this. This card looks rather unique I have never seen anything like this before." Wales took the card out of the box and examined it closely.

The card had a picture of a knight holding his sword near his chest. Beneath the picture were letters that spelled S A B E R.

"Sei… bah…" The prince read it out aloud.

"Saber?" Henrietta asked.

"I guess that's what's the knight in the picture is supposed to be holding." Prince Wales giggled.

While everyone laughed with the Prince the card began to shine of purple light. It was so bright that the whole mansion looked like a lamp illuminating purple rays from inside it.

"This is rather beautiful. What manner of sorcery is this?" The prince asked as he stared at the card with awe.

Meanwhile at the same time outside the mansion. Archerko and Louise just finished their intimate kiss and found themselves looking away from each other.

"T-T-That never happened I- I- I just!" Louise stuttered as she turned away from Archerko to hide her blushing face.

"What!"

Archerko gasped as she felt a familiar feeling spread across the island. She felt her body tremble and her hair stand up.

"E- Eh are you angry that I said that 'that never happened' I- I'm sorry it's not that I…"

"No I mean that!" Archerko pointed at the mansion which was now bursting in purple light.

"That is!"

Louise was shocked. She remembered that bright yet pale purple glow. The light pulsated as if it was a throbbing heart. The walls of the mansion began to tremble and Louise can hear it crackle outside.

"Oh… Oh- no…" Siesta's eyes widened and the sides of her lids wrinkled as she faced a chilling sensation.

"What's that purple light? Do you know anything about this you three?" Agnes asked.

"No time to explain! If you want see survivors! Get ready to fight Captain!"

Archerko grabbed Louise's hand and together they sprinted towards the mansion and Agnes followed them.

"Siesta go back to the docks!" Archerko commanded as they disappeared towards the mansion. The maid nodded and proceeded towards the direction of the docks. Archerko had to carry Louise to the mansion because she was wearing a long dress and couldn't run.

When the three arrived inside the party room, the Prince still had the card in his hand while it continued to pulsate and glow. Henrietta was beside him as they looked at the card with awe.

"Drop that card!" Archerko shouted.

"Hey it's that boy and he's with Louise again." One of the girls whispered to her companion.

"Oh yeah, where was he and what is he spouting?" The companion replied.

"Sir Shirouko I was wondering where you have…"

"Drop that card! It's dangerous!" Archerko shouted again.

"This?"

The prince took another look at the card before returning to Archerko.

"I don't see the… ah…"

The prince felt his hand get shocked from the card. His instincts told him to drop it immediately but his fingers were tightly closed as if they were glued unto it.

"What's the matter Wales?" Henrietta worriedly asked as she noticed her cousin's face distort in shock and pain.

"T-The card it won't come off!" The prince used his other hand to try and pry open his fingers but they were stuck hard like cement.

"S-Servants help the prince!"

"No… it has already began get away from him!" Archerko shouted but she was ignored by most and many went beside the prince to help him.

"What is that Archerko?" Agnes went beside Archerko for details.

"Did you get a report about the Academy being attacked by a monster?" Archerko asked. She hoped that the kingdom has already heard of the incident because that would make explaining this easier.

"Yes, according to our informants it was a giant sea monster?" Agnes replied. She remembered the guard that reported the incident to her.

"If we're lucky we're going to have another one of that." Archerko replied with a grim look on her face.

"Lucky?" Agnes shouted. She was shocked with Archerko's choice of words.

"Yes, because it can get much, much worse! Agnes take the princess and get her as far away from here as you can!"

"Ghh…" Agnes groaned. She obeyed the familiar and dashed to take the princess.

The captain took the princess by the waist and carried her off the stage. The princess struggled as she tried to reach for the prince who had seven people helping him remove the card.

"Knight Captain Agnes what are you doing?" Henrietta shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry your highness but this is for the best!" Agnes dashed away with the princess on her back.

The people around the prince tried to rip the card with their swords and daggers but it was tougher than their swords. They tried to pull it out but it didn't budge an inch. They also tried to pull the prince's fingers open but it was like they were never apart to begin with. It was as if he was born with his fingers stuck on that card.

"W-What's this…? I…" The prince started pushing everyone around him away.

"Everyone please get away from him!" Archerko cried out. She was already begging as she reasoned to everyone near the prince including Fayre.

"Shut up!" Fayre who feared that this party she started is about to push her in a dungeon with her clan emblem torn from the doors of their mansions.

"N-No Shirouko is right! Run everyone… please!" The prince himself fell on his knee as the card began to throb faster in his hand.

"Prince Wales!" Henrietta reached for her cousin but Agnes had her restrained tight.

"Princess I'm sorry but you can't!" Agnes apologized.

"I command you to take me to him!" Henrietta commanded.

"You can fire me later on, or send me to the dungeon but I cannot obey that command!" Agnes replied.

"Ah!" Wales shouted his final shout as the card in his hand disappeared and merged with his body.

The prince's velvet attire got ripped into shreds as purple light completely enclosed him. The people around him except for Fayre got the message Archerko was trying to tell them and started to run away. Fayre reached inside the purple to help the prince and to her surprise a hand clad in white armor reached out from the purple light and grabbed her by the throat. A small explosion caused the stage to break apart and on the ruins of that stage stood a man who looked almost similar to Prince Wales. This man was clad in white armor and had golden hair.

SNAP

The sound of Fayre's neck snapping echoed across the room. The man tossed the lifeless body of the host on one of the tables.

"This is… Servant Class Saber…"

Archerko immediately recognized the class of the warrior in front of her.

"Agnes please take Louise and the Princess and run!" Archerko pleaded to the knight captain.

"What? Archerko I'm not letting you fight alone!" Louise roared.

"But I…"

"You promised!"

"…" Archerko looked at Agnes.

"Don't look at me…" Agnes sighed.

"Okay then master! It won't be epic spirit versus epic spirit but a familiar and her master versus an epic spirit! Let's see which is stronger." Archerko grinned.

"A-Archerko…"

It was blissful for Louise to hear her familiar finally call her master properly after all this time.

"Right! Let's go!" Louise cheerfully followed Archerko as they marched towards the Class Saber hero.

Saber raised his hand and like magic a sword appeared on his palm. He grabbed the hilt tight and prepared to swing it with all his might.

"A long range attack?"

Archerko noticed that Saber was gathering mana similar to a person she knew.

"What's that sword?" She looked at the white blade the knight was wielding.

"Grahh!" Saber swung his sword horizontally from left to right and unleashed a huge prana blast.

"This is!"

Archerko who didn't have Derflinger to negate the blast ducked along with Louise to dodge the blast.

"There's no mistaking it, it's one of the three sister swords, Excalibur Galantine! Our enemy is Gawain the Knight of the Sun!"

The force of the attack destroyed the mansion's foundation and caused it to slowly breakdown. The once cheerful room was now filled with shouts of panic and despair as everyone rushed towards the exits. Some people rushed towards the door while some jumped off through the windows in desperation.

"So… this is the power of the cards…"

Wardes said as he joined his servants in running away. As he neared the door he noticed that Louise was still with the boy named Shirouko in front of the man clad in white who was once the Prince of Albion.

"Louise there you are! Let's go!" Wardes ran to Louise and grabbed her by her wrists and attempted to pull her away.

"No!"

To Wardes' surprise, the mage kicked him away then only steadily looked at him. Her eyes filled with rebellious light with unending passion towards whatever she was doing.

"Louise you…" Wardes' eyes were wide in shock to see that his obedient Louise was now rebelling against him.

"I'm sorry but… we have a battle to fight." Louise said.

Archerko smiled at Louise after hearing the mage's reply to the Captain of the Griffin Knights. Louise reached for her familiar's hand as they walked side by side to confront the Knight of the Sun.

"_That Shirouko… who is he? No matter… you were a part of my plan Louise, to be my queen when I finally sit on the throne of Tristain. But I can't die here with you._" Hesitantly, Wardes walked away after a final glimpse of the two who continued to close in to Gawain.

Unlike Caster, this card of class Saber looked more composed. It was as if it was conscious on what it was doing. It took a stance, a stance where he held his sword horizontally forward as if he was about to lunge in and thrust the holy blade into one of his opponents.

Archerko was familiar of that stance. It looked very similar to 'Tsubame Gaishi a.k.a. Swallow Return' which was used by the Assassin in her world. However, unlike Assassin, the holy blade was a European sword which will not easily be used for the same maneuver meant for a katana.

"_I need to charge in or he might use another prana blast to get us._"

Archerko summoned Kanshou and Bakuya and rushed in.

"Louise cover me!" She asked for her master.

"Uhm!" Louise shouted with full determination as she raised her wand and fired off spread shots of mana bursts.

Having to dodge Louise's attacks, Gawain let Archerko get close to him. The familiar summoned two more swords above Gawain before striking him with Kanshou and Bakuya. The Knight of the Sun managed to fend off the two consecutive attacks but he was hit with a turning side kick square on the stomach and was sent flying. The familiar threw the Kanshou and Bakuya spinning at the knight before catching the two new blades she summoned in midair and rushed in again.

Saber could only defensive repel the Kanshou and Bakuya before engaging Archerko in a losing battle. A crack on the ceiling could finally no longer withstand the stress of their battle and collapsed inside the mansion. Archerko managed to sink in two strikes on each of the Knight's shoulders before doubling back to avoid the falling debris.

"Got him!"

Archerko cheered as she landed beside Louise who fended off some debris falling towards them. As the smoke cleared it revealed a stack of rubble lying on top of the knight who can't be seen under the pile.

"T-The prince he might've reverted we need to save him!"

Louise panicked as she imagined the prince being crushed under the weight of the debris.

"Leave it to…"

Archerko was about to remove the fallen rubble but she didn't need to. The chunks of cement were blasted away in an explosion from under the pile. The Knight of the Sun stood up unscathed from their combos to their surprise.

"What the… I'm sure I connected." Archerko remembered sinking her blades thought the knight's armor.

The familiar had no time to analyze for Saber has already gone into offensive.

"Louise move away from me!" She pushed Louise away.

With the same stance he had before, he dashed in and then swiped Archerko with a horizontal slash. Louise's familiar answered the attack by summoning Kanshou and Bakuya in her hands and blocked it. However, Gawain stepped forward and using all his weight, he forced the attack to crush Archerko's defense and sent her flying. The familiar crashed through a pillar and bounced off a wall before landing on the floor.

"Archerko!" Louise shouted worriedly as she saw her familiar get overwhelmed.

Gawain attempted to deliver the final blow while Archerko was down on the floor still on all fours. Even only as a memory of his true self used by the card to protect itself he prioritized those who were capable of fighting. The Knight of the Sun charged in for a downward slash aimed to decapitate his opponent. Before he could reach Archerko a blast of mana crashed on his shoulder and pushed him off balance. He quickly recovered and looked for the source of the blast and found Louise. He readied himself to use his own prana blast.

A yellow ray of admonishing light rushed to Louise. It did not hit its mark for another ray of similar light deflected it off course. Archerko who finally recovered jumped a few meters in front of Gawain holding a golden sword- Caliburn.

"This is the sword of the person you swore to protect and serve, it's only fitting that this ends your insanity."

Archerko buried the tip of the sword on the ground as if to imitate the proud stance of the Saber from her world. On that same moment a powerful gust of wind blew the hat she wore which revealed the long hair she had in a bun.

"…gh…" Saber groaned.

To Archerko's surprise Gawain began to tremble and even dropped the holy blade he had with him. He fell on his knees and began to crawl as he raised his hand to reach for the replica of the Sword Set in Stone.

"I- It can't be…"

Archerko noticed how Gawain strived to reach her as he crept ever so slowly.

"You're not a servant… you're just a card… a memory of a hero and yet…" Archerko wanted to step back but she needed to see this.

"Archerko what is it…" Louise rushed behind Archerko as they watched Saber approach them together.

Gawain finally reached the Caliburn as he knelt like he did the first time he was ordained as a knight by Arturia. With his head bowed and his hand raised to his heart, he swore allegiance to the Perfect King. Right now it seemed like he was relieving that moment even only as a memory as a façade of a Class Card.

"Forgive… me… my… king…"

Those were his final words before his armor vanished into light. The entire hero's being transformed back into a card leaving only the Prince of Albion kneeling in his place.

"Prince Wales!" Louise was happy to see the prince freed from the card's grasp.

"Don't move Louise!"

Archerko barred Louise from moving forward with her arm.

"The card is still there!" She said.

The card floated in front of Archerko as if it was inviting her to touch it. Archerko was hesitant knowing the power of the card. But after seeing what just happened she decided to risk it. With her knowledge of servants, mana, prana and classes she was confident that she will not be controlled by the card.

"Archerko no!" Louise shouted. She was worried that the same fate will befall her familiar if she touches the card.

"Don't worry Louise."

Archerko turned to her master and smiled.

"It's finally calm." She said as she accepted the card in her hand.

The card vanished into molecules of white light as it vanished inside Archerko's hand. It looked very gentle compared to the purple light it radiated from before.

"So that's why you were uninjured… you're invulnerable under the sun…"

Archerko smiled as the memories and abilities of Gawain were absorbed in her mind.

"In the end… all you wanted to serve here… Seriously… what did you see in that gluttonous friend of mine." She snickered.

"Prince Wales!" A familiar voice interrupted them.

It was the Princess and the Knight Captain. Henrietta rushed beside Wales who weakly lay in her arms. She looked very happy to find the prince still conscious and breathing.

"Sorry Ar… err… Shirouko I just couldn't…" Agnes apologized to Archerko while keeping in mind the name the familiar was currently using.

"It's fine… it's over…" Archerko replied with a grin.

"Shirouko… y-you're a king from a distant land?"

Prince Wales struggled to get on his feet to ask Archerko.

"I was conscious even under his control. I could see through his memories. I saw from within him… a distant king that holds the dream of every hero… every warrior. Are you… that king?" The prince had a wide smile on his face as he interrogated Louise's familiar.

"No… I merely imitated my friend." Archerko replied.

"Then… your friend…"

"Yes."

"Archerko what are you talking about?" Louise approached them; she was confused on what the prince and Archerko were getting at.

"Miss Valliere forgive me, I didn't know that your escort was such a… ah…"

The prince of Albion was about to shake Louise's hand when an arrow pierced through his heart. Blood spilled from his mouth which covered a portion of Louise's cheek. Everyone's mouths were wide open as they saw the prince fell on the ground.

"Wales!" Henrietta cried as she went beside the fallen prince.

Archerko summoned her sword and surveyed the room. She looked for any suspicious person who could've delivered that arrow through the prince's heart.

"Where?"

She shouted angrily. She looked up the hole in the ceiling to see two men riding a dragon. One of them was wearing green tights and a hat while one of them was a silver haired man with a mustache.

"Wardes?" Louise was the first to recognize the man behind the man with the bow.

"I'm sorry Louise… I planned you to be beside me when this happens." Wardes said this in a disappointed tone.

"Knight Captain Wardes! What do you think you're doing?" Henrietta shouted angrily at the assailant of her beloved.

"It's because of war isn't it?"

To their surprise, Wales replied for Wardes. Even though he was extremely weakened and almost dead he had the strength to turn his body side up and face his killer.

"Wales! D-Don't move you're bleeding badly… Someone do something!" Henrietta pleaded to the people around her.

Agnes turned her face away and looked down. She knew that the arrow that pierced the prince hit his heart fatally. There was no saving the prince anymore.

"Archerko can you do something?" Louise tugged on Archerko's long sleeve. She remembered all the wonderful things Archerko did and hoped that healing would be one of those.

Archerko approached the prince to remove the arrow. She imagined using a jewel to save him just as Tohsaka saved her once in her previous life. However just as she reached for the arrow an ominous aura emanating from the arrow repelled her.

"What the… the arrow is imbued with poison! This arrow is made of yew!" She turned to the man that shot the arrow.

Yew can only be harvested in her world for Yew Trees do not grow on this world. Archerko immediately knew what this meant. The man in green could only be a familiar from her world or a world similar to hers or another servant from the cards.

"Never mind… I know I'm already done for… Wardes you intend to start a war between Albion and Tristania do you not?" Wales asked as he held on to his last breath.

"Humph… I do not need to answer the questions of a dying man."

Wardes smiled before tapping his companion on the back.

"Let's go." He commanded.

"You're not going anywhere!" Archerko summoned her bow and aimed at the dragon flying away.

The man with Wardes shot an arrow at a pillar and destroyed it. The room's foundation was finally ready to give in. Archerko could not make chase for now everyone inside was in danger of getting crushed in the collapse.

"Damn you!" Archerko cursed as she readied herself to take on the debris.

"Farewell young man… and farewell Louise…" Wards waved as he flew off with the man in green as the mansion collapsed on the five.

A few minutes later.

Beneath the rubble a hand emerged covered in dust. The familiar pulled herself up from the pile of concrete and marble.

"It looks like we're safe." She said as she pulled the next person behind her.

"Are you alright? You took on all those debris." Louise asked worriedly

Louise remembered what Archerko did before the mansion collapsed. She summoned a white blade that looked like the sword of Gawain and used its power to have the ground collapse beneath them and create a small bunker enough for the five of them to fit in. Then she used a red shield of light to act as a roof while large chunks of concrete crashed on them.

"Don't worry I'm fine… how are the others?" Archerko looked behind Louise to find Agnes carrying Henrietta on her back. The prince sadly laid dead behind them. He perished before the mansion collapsed because of his wound and the arrow's poison.

"We're fine…" Agnes replied before giving a worried look at Henrietta.

"Prince…" Henrietta said this very weakly. Her heart broke when she saw her beloved lose his life in her arms.

"Archerko are you sure you're alright?"

Louise wanted to confirm of Archerko's health. She was worried that Archerko may have overexerted herself again even though she proved to be more powerful when they fought caster.

"Yes master."

Archerko smiled as they all emerged to look at the setting sun. She looked at her hands which were free from any bruises considering the things she went though. Her face was also clean and only her clothes were a bit tattered.

"It seems that… from now on… as long as the sun shines… I will not be harmed." Archerko remembered the ability of Gawain from his memories.

Everybody there was astounded to hear that. However there was no time for praises. What happened here was truly a devastating event and if Wardes was heading where they thought he was heading then they have to prepare for war. The prince was the only factor stopping Albion from declaring war over Tristain and with his death; Wardes will surely spark that dangerous flare. With a war about to break out and the cards still dangerously scattered out there it's not a question if the world will come into ruin, but rather when and how the world will come into ruin. The fate of Halkegenia now rests in the hands of a few.

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><p>AN: That's it for now, R&amp;R!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Void Bladeworks**

**(A Zero no Tsukaima and Fate / Stay Night crossover)**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Can we skip this part...?<strong>

**AN : Finally! the update of doom has arrived! Not my intention it's this long, I just have too many ideas to write!  
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**Zaralann: thanks for the review as always!  
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**Fangking2: It's a "Saber" classcard, not the servant itself  
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**MWkillkenny84: Well i'm trying not to follow cannon of ZnT that much and of course some of the servants on this fic will be made interesting but let's make that a surprise shall we =3**

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><p>Since millenniums back, humans and elves had enmity towards each other. The humans had been the inferior race and the oppressed. After a war broke out, humanity had earned its right from their previous masters. Since then then the feud between the two never really died out. In most of the human territories, elves were considered to be blasphemous creatures that need to be driven, exiled or killed and some elves share the same notion towards humans. There are certain human factions and elven factions that agree to live together in harmony but they're in the minority. Some humans and elves use the feud between the races to push them up the political ladder thus the problem never gets solved.<p>

Lucky are the humans and elves that had the privilege to stay with their own kind. However, there are some people trapped behind the racial borders. Some human-elven highbreeds had to take bullying from their peers and their families endured persecution. Some were lucky enough to be born in a town where both races are considered equal but some were fated to be stoned or thrown out without food or shelter.

Tiffania is not one of the lucky ones. Early in her childhood her elven race caused her great pain and scarred her for life. Since then she only had a small, lonely cottage to act as shelter in the middle of the forest. Despite that, she never showed ill will towards humans and helped them whenever they get into trouble in that forest. However no matter how much the elf had done for the humans, she still feared showing them her true identity. The blonde elf would always tie her hair with a scarf and cover herself with a brown cloak. In some villages she's referred to as 'fairy of the forest' but no one has yet to know of her true identity.

Tiffania now lives in a village called 'Westwood Village'. The village is not an ordinary village for everyone except for Tiffania were little children. The village is an orphanage for human and elven children who were exiled or abandoned. For food and other basic commodities, an old acquaintance sends them enough money. Even with the money, however, they still need to buy everything from a nearby village.

Today, Tiffania walks amidst humans in that village. She wore her cloak and scarf to make sure no one recognizes her elven ears. One sight of those pointy ears can send a bystander screaming "elf!" and have her chased by an angry mob. Such is the curse of those ears. There is however a place where she feels more welcome in the village. Not too deep inside the village was a store which sells rice, meat and some vegetables. The store wasn't too big, in fact it's just a two storied house and they keep their business on the first floor and their stocks on the second floor. The owner of the store was a kind old man who gets his product from the farm he owns himself so he always sells to Tiffania in a discounted price.

"Hello mister. I've come to buy some food again today." Tiffania politely knocked on the old man's porch.

"Oh…"

The old man checked who his customer was. He was in the age of fifty six but he looked much younger for his age. He has a wife and a son who helped him run the store and the farm. Today, it's his turn to manage the store while his wife milks the cows.

"If it isn't our dear Tiffania please come in."

He courteously invited the elf inside his store after opening the door for her. He offered her a seat while he walked towards the stairs to prepare his stocks for Tiffania on the second floor.

"It will be the usual I presume?"

The man was familiar with what Tiffania always bought. For six years now, this has been the store that welcomed Tiffania with open arms.

"Three sacks of rice, a hundred and fifty pounds of beef and pork and thirty pounds of green leafy veggies?" The old man asked.

"Uhn."

Tiffania waved her head.

"Tomorrow's a special day. It's Tessa's birthday."

Tessa is a five year old elf in the Westwood Village. She's an adorable little nymph who had blonde twin-tails and fair skin. She's not the youngest in the orphanage but she was certainly the most cheerful.

"Tessa? That wonderful little child. We'd love to come, is she going to have a party?" The old man sincerely asked.

"Really? I'm sure Tessa will be really happy to see you there mister." Tiffania's smile ranged from ear to ear after hearing that.

"Of course! So what is it going to be? A turkey? A chicken? Or even a young tasty lamb would do fine." The old man suggested some delicacies that suited a birthday party.

"I- I'm not really sure since…"

"Oh come now. Children only have their birthdays once a year. I'm sure Tessa would love to have a special party. Don't worry, just for today I won't charge extra."

"T-That's so kind of you mister!" Tiffania was almost teary eyed to have someone treat her with such kindness.

"In return though, I get to choose what to cook!"

The old man had a grin on his face.

"Lamb meat is always delicious and turkey is always a must in these kinds of happenings. So let's go with both!"

"Mister!" Tiffania tried to stop the old man for he has already given them too much.

"Now get on the carriage my dear, I'm sure you won't be able to carry everything by yourself." The old man kindly offered the elf a ride home.

Tiffania knew better than to decline the offer. Carrying everything around on her own caused many problems on her back before. Besides, the store owner looked so excited to help in that she couldn't bear to turn him down.

The carriage they used was an ordinary carriage. More of a horse cart actually. It had room enough for three people to fit in along with three sacks of rice, meat, vegetables, a dead lamb and a slaughtered turkey. The owner drove the carriage while Tiffania and the owner's seventeen year old son sat with the load.

The young man sitting beside Tiffania had blue and rugged hair. He was about Five and a half feet tall with a slim yet a little muscular frame. He had a clean face, no mustache or anything, and had brown eyes. The man wore a brown vest over his white shirt and some farmer's pants.

"Tessa's going to have a birthday tomorrow eh? I'm so excited." The young man attempted to start a conversation with Tiffania.

"Yes. She's a very good girl and I thought she deserved to celebrate her special day like this." Tiffania nodded.

"Ahaha!"

The young man laughed aloud and had his right hand to cover his mouth.

"You sound like a real mother more than just a big sister." Said the boy.

"Sebastian talks of you a lot you know." The old turned to them while driving to join their talk.

"D-dad!" Sebastian blushed bright red.

"Oh come now. You've been saying Tiffania this and Tiffania that…"

The old man laughed.

"Tiffa what do you think about my son Sebastian?" The owner asked.

"Well I think he's really kind and very gentle." Tiffania who was dense about these kinds of things said this with a smile.

"Oh? But do you think he would be a fine husband someday?" The old man asked with a huge grin on his face.

"Dad come on!"

The young man punched his old man on the shoulder lightly.

"Y-You don't have to answer him Tiffania." He turned to Tiffania while waving his hands at her frantically.

"Well I believe that the girl who will get to marry Sebastian will be very lucky!" Tiffania replied to the old man.

"E-Eh!" Sebastian gasped. He felt bliss to hear that from Tiffania but it was also obvious that Tiffania had no knowledge about his true feelings.

"Did you hear that my boy? It looks like you have a chance."

Their small caravan traveled smoothly until they reached near the forest. Before they could enter the thick greenery a group of men blocked their path. They were armed and looked rugged. It was as if they were mercenaries or guerilla soldiers.

"Old man! It has been a long time." A bearded member of the group of men who looked like their leader approached them.

"_Who is he?_" Tiffania whispered to Sebastian. She wondered why they were being road blocked and yet the old man seemed to know of the other man.

"His name is Gaspar. He's a bandit who blackmails people on the road for money. If we don't give him something, he'll rob us." Sebastian explained with a disgusted look at the bandit.

"I remember our relationship before old man. But it's easy to forget ties when there's nothing shiny to help us remember." Said Gaspar with a smug voice.

"Oh I know what you mean Gaspar."

The old man grabbed a sack of coins behind him and threw it at the fat bandit. Gaspar caught it easily with one hand and opened it to check.

"Thirty gold and fifteen silver coins!"

Gaspar showed his men the money the old man paid him. They all smiled and cheered. That amount of money is enough to buy them a new horse or even brand new weapons.

"Not bad old man but we haven't seen each other for a long time. Maybe can you can give us more?" Gaspar approached the carriage with an evil grin on his face.

"Let's not be greedy Gaspar you know that's not possible. I don't earn that much!" The owner replied.

"Oh I'm not talking about money. The girl with your son there looks really alluring. Maybe if you can let her stay with us for a few hours or maybe days I'll consider everything paid." Gaspar approached the side of the cart and slipped his hand inside one of the gaps and attempted to caress Tiffania's thighs.

Tiffania backed away as soon as she saw the hand reach for her rear. A flash of red light bruised the flesh of the bandit who immediately drew back his hand after he felt the stinging sensation from the laser.

"My family is not rich enough to send me to a magical academy but believe me I know some magic!" Sebastian had a wand drawn pointed at Gaspar. His wand was in poor condition. It looked very old and worn down.

"Why you little!" Gaspar attempted to draw his cutlass from its sheath.

"Enough! Here Gaspar take this!"

The old man threw another bag of coins at the bandit.

"There's another fifty gold coins in there. Now let us pass!" The old man demanded.

Gaspar and the owner exchanged looks for a moment. The bandit still had his hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword. He looked defiantly at the man who burnt a blister on his hand then returned a look at the old man.

"Fine! Let them pass!" He ordered his men. The carriage passed through without being bothered by the other bandits or Gaspar.

"Sir, are you sure? Is that okay?" One of the bandits who looked so thin and bony asked his boss.

"No… he will pay. But no need to hurry. He still needs to pay the fee going back after all." Gaspar had a sly grin on his face before he laughed sinisterly.

While the bandits planned, the three drove on hastily. They wanted to be as far away from those marauders as possible.

"Sebastian that was very thoughtless of you!" The old man scolded his son.

"I can't just let them do as they want to Tiffa!" Sebastian angrily replied.

"If things went bad there Tiffania would be dead along with both of us!" The owner harshly replied.

"P-Please don't fight… I'm sorry it's my entire fault."

Tiffania went in between the father and son. She felt responsible for their argument. After all if she wasn't there, then the bandits wouldn't have asked them for an extra.

"No please Tiffania it's my boy's fault… I never raised him to be this hot tempered." The old man felt embarrassed that Tiffania was trying to calm them down.

"You also taught me to uphold the righteous, dad!" The young man retaliated.

From that moment on, the trip to Westwood Village felt awkward. Sebastian and his father were snobbish towards each other and Tiffania couldn't interject between the two. Hopefully the two won't act the same way when they reach the Village or that might affect the kids. Since Tessa's birthday is tomorrow, that's not something that could be accepted. Tiffania prayed that they were to reconcile when they reach the orphanage.

A few more minutes later and they could see the walls of timber that housed the village. Outside the small arc were the oldest among the children who looked excited to see Tiffania.

"Sebastian look! It's the children!" The old man's frown was quickly replaced with a big smile.

"Yeah! They look happy to see us!" Sebastian too felt livelier compared to the slump he was in after that issue with Gaspar.

"Oh thank goodness!" Tiffania sighed with relief. It looked like the men have forgotten about their argument just after seeing the kids.

The two kids were Thomas and Maria. Thomas was wearing a green vest with a white shirt underneath and brown shorts. He was twelve years old, had a rough red hair, slim body and about four and about four and a half feet tall. Maria was a cute girl wearing a cute one-piece pink dress that stretched from her shoulder to just a cut below her knees. She was as tall as Thomas and had a long black silky straight hair that stretched to her knees.

"They're here!" Thomas the more excited of the two called to the other children inside the village.

Maria rushed to the carriage to greet Tiffania and the two men. She was very eager to help them of their luggage.

"Big sister! Big brother Sebastian and Uncle is here too!" She cheered as soon as she politely grabbed a bag of vegetables to carry inside.

The old man was quick to jump off his horse and help the little girl.

"Sebastian what do you think you're doing? Help me carry everything inside! You're letting a little girl carry everything?" He said to his son as he placed two sacks of rice on his shoulders.

"Fat chance pa!" Sebastian jumped off the cart and took the dead lamb and the turkey. It was a little oily so his shirt was soiled but it was fine. He was happy to get invited inside the village.

It didn't take long before more children came that helped them with the remaining luggage. They looked very enthusiastic. It's easy to forget that they're orphans who were abandoned by their loved ones when people see them like this. Smiles were etched on each of their faces and gentle laughter could be heard all throughout the village.

"Now, now youngins there's enough of uncle for everyone." The old man was overjoyed to have kids hanging over his shoulders as he made his way to the main tavern where the kitchen was so he could store the food.

"Children let uncle rest he must be tired from the travel." Tiffania was worried for the old man. Even though it wasn't too long of a drive, that moment with the bandits must have exhausted him in some ways.

"Oh come now Tiffania let the kids have their fun. I'm not all that tired yet." The kids were about to leave before the old man insisted that they stay.

While the old man made his way to the kitchen as he entertained the kids, Sebastian too was busy with some of the little tikes while he stored the lamb and turkey carcasses.

"Big bro! Big bro!" One of the little girls called to Sebastian as he stacked the two animal corpses together.

"What is it Anisette?" Sebastian asked the girl who's apparently called Anisette.

Anisette was a brown haired girl the age of seven. She was about three and ¾ feet tall, slim and cute. Her eyes were colored ruby that matched beautifully with her fair complexion.

"When are you going to marry Big Sis Tiffania?" The girl asked this sensitive question with such an innocent and cheerful face.

"Pfft!"

Sebastian gasped and uncontrollably spit out some excess saliva. The shock and embarrassment on his face is apparent but not to the children who were still dense about these topics.

"W-Where did you hear that?" He asked with a trembling voice. He wondered who were spreading such rumors no matter how true it wished he was that close to the elven beauty.

"Eh? But I read in some books that people who act like big bro will…"

"Now listen you…"

Sebastian cut off Anisette before she could continue

"Not everything you read in books is true. Please forget such useless information." He said this while rubbing the little girl's brown locks.

"Anisette! Don't say such ridiculous things!"

Maria who managed to overhear the entire conversation entered the room.

"It's obvious that Big Brother Sebastian hasn't even asked Big Sister out yet. He needs to do that first before thinking of marriage." Maria lectured her little sister.

"Gah!"

Sebastian gasped. Maria's intervention didn't help at all. In fact, if anything it just showed him how much of a doormat he was for not being able to ask the elf he wanted to date for a long time now.

"N-Now children there are things… like… err… where's Tessa? Isn't it her birthday tomorrow?" Sebastian was quick to attempt a change in topic.

"She's still asleep. She played all night last night because she was too excited for tomorrow." Maria replied. She had a weird yet worried look on her face.

"I'm envious! We didn't have any lamb in my birthday!" Anisette pouted and puffed up her cheeks.

"Really? In that case we'll have a more grand party next year for your birthday!" Sebastian cheered up the little girl.

"Really? Yay!"

Anisette cheered and hugged the knee of the boy.

"When I grow up I am going to marry big bro!" The little girl said with an innocent and satisfied face.

"Eh?" Sebastian gasped. It was an honor to hear that from a girl but he just wasn't so sure how to take it.

"Anisette!"

Maria pulled the younger girl off Sebastian.

"You can't marry big brother! If big sis won't marry him it's obvious that the next oldest gets to marry him!" Maria explained with a selfish and proud look on her face.

"Eh? Is it big brother Thomas?" Anisette said with a finger on her lips.

"Yes! I mean no!" Maria roared.

"You brats…" Sebastian felt like a pet cat being pulled in a tug of war between sisters.

"Eh? But you don't even have breasts! I'm sure big brother Sebastian likes women with bigger breasts more!" Anisette flailed her arms around.

"Eh?"

Maria's face blackened with the shadow of her own hair… and some despair.

"B-Breasts have nothing to do with marriage! Besides Anisette doesn't have breasts either!" Maria retaliated while flinging one arm of her own.

"But I'm younger so I still have more time to grow them compared to you!" Anisette answered back while leaning forward before rebelliously sticking her tongue out.

"This is not something you kids should be talking about!" Sebastian who could no longer take the embarrassment shouted.

"…g…" Both the kids had tears forming in their eyes. They looked at Sebastian with pitiful stares.

"N-Now, now…" Sebastian noticed the symptoms and tried to calm them before the first loud bang erupts.

"B-Big brother yelled at us… he hates us! Waaah!" Anisette cried while rushing outside.

"I- I'm sorry big brother!" Maria looked more tranquil but tears were trailing her cheeks as she followed Anisette.

"Ah! I'm sorry come back!" Sebastian tried to call and reach to them but the two already disappeared after leaving that room.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Tiffania and the old man was busy cutting up some of the vegetables and meat to prepare for lunch. They were going to cut up the lamb and the turkey very early tomorrow morning but for now they must satisfy the children's hunger.

"I can't believe you manage everything here yourself Tiffania. My wife has nothing on you." The old man praised the young elf. He pictured his wife who was almost driven insane taking care of a younger Sebastian a few years back.

"Not at all… it may not look like it but Maria and Thomas are very dependable for their age." She replied humbly.

"But wouldn't it be better to have a man of your age helping around?" The old man continued to ask.

"Eh?" Tiffania wondered what the old man was getting at.

"Why don't you let Sebastian stay here with you?" He asked frankly with a solemn yet teasing voice.

"E-eh? I can't possibly…" Tiffania turned away, blushed and returned to cooking as she looked for proper answers to that question.

"_She blushed? My son might have a chance after all._" The old man giggled in his heart. The thought that his son has somehow managed to attract such a beauty makes him proud.

"Big sister I'm hungry!" A little girl came inside the kitchen without knocking while still yawning.

"Tessa! You're awake." Tiffania was glad to have the little girl break that awkward conversation they were having.

"Big sis! Uncle is here!" The little girl noticed the old man late and hugged his waist. The old man carried the little girl in his arms.

"Tessa you little bundle of joy! It's your birthday tomorrow am I right?" The old man asked while playfully poking on Tessa's nose.

"Yes! Is uncle coming?" Tessa giggled.

"Of course I am, along with your big brother Sebastian!"

The old man nodded his head while he continued to baby Tessa.

"I have an idea, why don't we go into town today and buy Tessa some presents?" He asked the little girl who looked really excited after hearing this.

"R-Really?"

Tessa asked cheerfully.

"May I come big sis? May I?" The little girl turned to Tiffania and pleaded.

"O-Okay…"

Tiffania was going to say that it might trouble the kind mister but that begging look on Tessa's face caught her off guard. Besides, it's the little girl's birthday tomorrow, there's no reason to deny her of such simple pleasure.

"But don't give mister too much trouble okay?" She requested of Tessa to be on her best behavior.

"Um!" Tessa nodded her head cheerfully.

"We'll go after lunch then. So Tessa why don't you call your brothers and sisters after thirty minutes so we can have lunch?" The old man gently lowered Tessa on the floor.

"Okay!" Tessa replied cheerfully. She pranced outside the room all giddy.

"_This plan is perfect. I'll leave Sebastian and Tiffania alone with the children so they can bond._" The old man had a smirk on his face as he helped Tiffania prepare the stew.

About forty-five minutes later, in the town where the old man lived, there's a bar that was open 24/7. During the day this bar served everybody including minors. The entertainment during the morning was cute girls in adorable outfits. Since during this time, children were allowed and served, they wore nothing too revealing. The dancers were all wearing the same thing, a red two piece dress which consists of a shirt that revealed their belly button but properly covered their top (or at least most of them) and a red and green mini skirt that extended to a half a feet above their knees.

"Hoeh!"

Tessa cheered as the old man opened the bar's door for her. She was wearing a cloak over her head to hide her elven ears.

"It's so beautiful in here!" Tessa said after watching some of the girls who were dancing a very lively dance.

The dance the girls were doing was a very popular dance called the 'Black Nag'. It's a dance performed by three couples, and by couples it means three pairs, doesn't necessarily have to be a 'couple'. The three pairs would exchange partners frequently while a pair would occasionally raise their arms while a meter apart with arms together to form an arc where one member of another pair would pass under.

There were six dancers. The most noticeable was a red haired booby monster that could barely fit in an arc every it was her turn. However, since dense, classless, motherfuckers were the main traits of the men inside the bar they would drool over her bulging saggy flesh where her breasts are supposed to be mummeries were so big that the 'safe' outfit looked unsafe for children anyway. She was also the most happy to do this service of dancing to entertain a crowd.

Another dancer was a short, flat chested, short blue haired nymph. Despite the lively dance you could barely see her smile. However, even without smiling it appears that she mastered the steps and she was very graceful in executing them. Every time she would raise her hands with someone to make an arc, her body would gracefully bend and lure the attention of some men.

There's also a blonde short haired dancer. Unlike the blue haired beauty this girl smiled no matter how forced it is. Her natural demeanor to show cold emotions just can't seem to stop. Unlike the first two dancers, she looked embarrassed as a light shade of pink can be traced on her cheeks. Being shy would frequently cause her to miss a step of a dance.

Another dancer had short black hair and had a well-nourished front. Not as gifted (or cursed) as the red haired girl but she had the racks to lure men with. She felt okay with serving an audience with entertainment because her normal job required her to serve anyway.

One dancer had pink wavy hair. She was among the shortest of the dancers in par with the blue haired nymph. She was very graceful in her moves but it was apparent that she was not used to these kinds of dances. She makes mistakes often and her face was reddened with embarrassment. More than the dance, the clothes she's currently revealing, though safe, felt too revealing for her. It also did not help that she too was a flat chest. Dancing with women who were more endowed, except for one, felt diminishing to her self-esteem.

There too was a green haired dancer. This dancer was different to the others because she's the daughter of the bar's owner. She wore a different dress too. Instead of red she wore a violet dress to make her standout more.

"Uncle they look all so beautiful!" Tessa cheered as she watched them turn, whirl and sway.

"Yes, the clothes they wear are really flashy." The old man replied.

"No I mean the pink haired one looks really pretty." She pointed at the lass who was blushing to her nose as men looked at her.

"Really? I thought you'd find women who looked more like your big sister Tiffania prettier. Like that red haired girl over there."

The old man pointed at the long haired girl who was busy prancing about while flaunting her meat bags.

"Big sister Tiffania isn't like that!"

Tessa pouted. She felt that it was an insult to compare the two no matter how similar their fronts were.

"Big sis never flaunted them off like a brand new necklace…" She said. She felt disgusted looking at the woman and just fixed her eyes on the other dancers.

After a few minutes of dancing the audience applauded as the dancers start to leave the stage through a backdoor. Some of them were whistling while some were asking for an encore. Tessa too stood up and clapped for her favorite. A few seconds later a new girl came up on stage.

This girl had properly braided long silver hair. Compared to the dancers from before this girl had average breast size. She was slim and slender but very cute yet alluring. She wasn't too tall; she was just about as tall as the blonde girl that danced before, about five feet and seven inches. Her skin looked so flawlessly white and smooth as if it was nourished with the most expensive milk. Her face was almost angelic, incomparable to an average woman.

"Hwoah!" Everybody in the bar cheered. It's not that they liked this new comer better it's because she presented herself better and wore better attire.

This new girl was wearing a sleeveless pink dress which too only covered a part of her belly and revealed the magnificence of her shoulders and her perfectly shaped belly button. The pink skirt she was wearing wasn't exactly safe as it only covered very little of her legs. It was almost as if it was planned for her to be the main act this morning.

"She's… very… pretty…" said Tessa who too was mesmerized by this new comer. She stood up and moved closer to the girl who looked at her with a gentle smile.

"High there." The girl waved at her and smiled.

"H-Hi!" Tessa blushed as if she was greeted by someone she admired all throughout her life.

"Listen to my song okay?"

The girl requested as she faced the audience to sing her song while Tessa stayed at the foot of the stage to listen.

A few seconds later after some cheers from the audience, the girl finally started to sing.

"KIMAGURE NA NORANEKO NO YOU NI."

_Like a whimsical stray cat's_

"ITAZURA NA MANAZASHI"

Mischievous gaze

"Tessa let's not disturb her, she's singing." The old man approached Tessa and carried her back to their table.

"But I want to watch her up close!" Tessa reasoned. She struggled and broke free of the old man's grip. She stayed once again beside the stage watched and listened.

"JUNJOU DAKE GA TORIE NO"

His innocence being his only worth

"DOKO NI DE MO IRU DREAMER"

The dreamer is everywhere

"FUSHIGI NA MEGURIAWASE WA"

The mysterious twist of fate

"ZETSUMYOU NA START LINE"

Is a miraculous start line

At this point the singer invited Tessa to step on the stage. Tessa quickly grabbed her hand for support and stepped on the stage. She was embraced gently from the back by the girl as the silver haired beauty continued to sing. Together they swayed gently while the audience were awe struck the performance.

"HANASHI WA ATO DE II SA"

Save what you have to say for later

"TADA JOUNETSU WO MOTTE IKOU"

Just take your passion with you

"MUNE WO KOGASHITSUZUKETE IRU"

My heart continues to burn

"SOREZORE NO YUME WO ATSUMETE "

Collecting all sorts of dreams

"KIZUNA TO IU NA NO OOKI NA ENGINE WO MAWASUN DA"

We'll turn the giant engine called 'bond'

"IMA SUGU NI HASHIRIDASOU"

Let us start running right now

"MICHINAKI MICHI WO SUSUNDE"

Down the trackless path

At this point the other dancers from before went behind the singer started holding hands. The pink haired dancer was willful to offer Tessa to hold her hand which Tessa happily accepted. The red haired performer offered to hold Tessa's other hand but she was quick to take the silver-haired singer's hand instead. This caused a small frown to appear on the red hair's face.

"TAGAI NI SENAKA AZUKEREBA"

If we entrust our backs to each other

"KOWAI MONO NANTE NAI SA"

We have nothing to fear

"DAREKA NO ASHI GA TOMATTARA"

If the feet of one of us were to stop

"DAREKA GA KATA WO KASU DAROU"

Surely another one of us will lend a shoulder

"SOSHIRANU KAO SHITE ITE MO"

And even if ignorance is feigned

"KOKORO WA HITOTSU SO MY FELLOWS"

Our hearts are one, so my fellows!

With that final line the song ended. The singer walked forward and took a bow and everyone else followed behind her. Tessa who was just abducted unto the stage happily took a bow as well.

"You're a swell performer little girl!" The silver haired singer praised Tessa.

"T-Thanks… Tessa blushed." Now that the song is done she jumped off the stage and rejoined with the old man.

"Tessa you were really phenomenal out there!" Said the old man.

"I wish I can invite her to my birthday." Said Tessa with a hint of sadness in her tone.

"Why don't we invite her then?" Suggested the old man.

"R-Really?" Tessa's face suddenly brightened up after hearing that.

"Yes I'll ask the bar owner's daughter if I can have that girl come over." The old man patted Tessa who giddily danced about.

The old man ordered a couple of pork barbeques. The waiter who served them was the green haired dancer who happened to be the daughter of the store owner.

"Stella!" The old man cheerfully greeted the waiter.

"Mister Howard! How are you today?" She greeted the old man and approached him while she still had a small empty tray inside her arms.

"Can we have that silver-haired singer over here?" He politely asked.

"Mr. Howard I'm sure you know of our policy during our morning shifts. We don't do that at this time of the day and I'm sure she doesn't accept those kinds of jobs…" Stella frowned.

"What? Oh nothing like that. It's just that my little girl here wants to meet her." The old man blushed for a bit before pointing to Tessa.

"O-Oh! Forgive me then. I'll call her in a minute." She rushed inside the kitchen looking embarrassed.

"Uncle what does she mean by 'that'?" She wondered what kind of jobs the young lady meant.

"Nothing, nothing don't mind her." The uncle escaped the question before laughing awkwardly.

Tessa didn't pursue the matter further. After all, she's just a kid whose attention span takes flight every five minutes and that attention span is now focused on the girl approaching them.

"Hi there!" The silver haired girl who sang on the stage just a few minutes ago waved at them. She still wore the same alluring dress as she didn't have time to change.

"H-Hi!" Tessa jumped off her seat and hid behind the old man's seat. This caused the singer to go 'eh?'

"Tessa don't be shy come out." The old man convinced the girl to step forward to meet her new idol.

"Ah, so Tessa's your name? That's really beautiful." The girl smiled and leaned over Tessa to look at her more.

"A-Ah!"

Tessa smiled back cheerfully.

"Y-You're really pretty!" Said the little girl.

"You think so? That means a lot coming from a cute girl!" The singer returns a compliment.

"Your song was really beautiful too!" Tessa cheered.

"Please have a seat miss."

The old man interrupted the two. The singer nodded and took a seat in front of Tessa and beside the old man.

"So Tessa don't you have something to say?" The uncle looked at the girl he took with him.

"Umm… c-can you… can you come to my birthday party tomorrow?" Tessa forced herself to ask.

"Eh? Tomorrow?" The girl was partially surprised. She didn't expect to be invited to a birthday party especially one that's as close as 'tomorrow'. She looked behind her and looked at the pink and blonde haired dancers.

"I-If it's too much trouble then…" Tessa stuttered as she recognized the girl's actions as hesitance.

"No, no, it's no trouble at all. Sure I'll come to your party. Where is it located?" The singer asked.

"Really? Uwaii!" Tessa triumphantly cheered.

"T-There's no need to worry about the location I can take you there tomorrow morning." Said the old man.

"That's fine then. If I may request, may I take my friend with me?" The singer pointed at the pink haired dancer who blushed as soon as she noticed that the silver-haired pointed at her.

"Well, Tessa? Is it okay?" The old man turned once again to Tessa. He thought that it would be good for this little girl to make most of the decisions.

"The pink haired big-sister?"

Tessa looked at the other girl a few meters behind the singer.

"Oh her? I'll be happy if she will come too!"

Tessa positively replied with a wide smile on her face.

"But I don't like that red haired booby lady." She pouted as she remembered the other girl on the stage before.

"Gahk…" A choking sound from behind the other dancers could be heard.

"Ahaha… sure we'll leave her behind."

The singer giggled before nodding.

"Advanced happy birthday Tessa. We'll be there, it's a promise." The singer extended her pinky to the little girl.

"Eh?" Tessa who didn't know what that act meant looked at the singer's pinky curiously.

"In my own wo… err hometown shaking pinkies like this is an act of unbreakable promise. If two people do this they must honor their promise whatever happens." The girl explained.

"Oh!" Now that her curiosity has been fed Tessa's face brightened up again while she extended her own finger and intertwined it with the singer's.

"Okay with this let's swear to meet tomorrow at your birthday!" The idol led the pink shake then giggled as their fingers parted.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but here are your orders mister!" Stella came with a tray filled with pork barbeque in her hands.

"Ah just in time let's eat Tessa!" Said the old man.

"Okay!" Tessa nodded as she picks a stick.

"In that case then I'll…" The singer attempted to stand up but her skirt was quickly tugged on.

"You're not joining us?" Tessa asked with a tearful eye.

"Hmm? But I can't possibly…" The singer knew that the food was specially bought by the old man for themselves.

"Come now miss, I think I've bought too much just for the both of us. Join us at least." The old man suggested.

The singer looked at Tessa then turned to Stella. Stella nodded her head as if to give her permission.

"Okay if you say so." The singer smiled and took her seat again before picking a barbeque stick.

The three of them ate happily while talking about stuff that's going to happen tomorrow in the party. There were jealous stares coming from all around then especially from behind the singer where a red headed woman looked at the cute little girl that got scared of her breasts. A pink haired girl too stared at the group with a monopoliststare at the silver-haired singer.

Meanwhile, at the same time these things happened, from the time Tessa went inside the store, things were very busy in the Westwood Village. The kids were busy hanging decorations which consisted of nicely cut paper animals and paper flowers which were carefully picked to be Tessa's favorite. Inside one of the taverns Sebastian, Tiffania and some children were preparing more cut outs to put on the designs.

"Big brother Sebastian is it true that you know magic?" One child asked. It was a little boy in the age of ten. He had dark brown hair and emerald eyes.

"Y-Yes but I'm not really good at it." Sebastian laughed while he scratched the back of his own head.

"Can you show us?" Another child, this time a female of nine years old, persistently tugged on his vest.

"H-Hey don't pull." Sebastian worried about his about to be torn off vest.

"Children don't bother Sebastian too much." Tiffania carried the girl off Sebastian and then unto her lap.

"Fine, fine big brother will show you some magic. Let's go outside, we don't want to cause fire here do we?" Sebastian carried the boy which was clinging unto his arm.

Everybody went outside to witness Sebastian's magic. Sebastian stood on top of a platform which served to be the main stage of the orphanage where Tiffania gathered everyone every time she would make an announcement or a crucial decision for the village.

"Okay I guess for my first trick turn this paper pigeon into a phoenix!" Sebastian roared as he waved at the cutout pigeon he made. In an instant the sides of the paper pigeon ignited slowly. He released it and the air took it and made an illusion of a small fiery bird.

"Wow!" The children cheered in awe.

"Do some more!" One of the children who was wearing a sleeveless, collarless shirt demanded.

"Okay, okay."

The young man reached deep within his memory for a spell that would mesmerize the excited tikes. However, if he was in an academy he would be ranked a dot level fire mage. This means the range of spells he can do is very limited. Other than basic flame spells, you can count the spells he can do in both hands.

"How about this?" With a wave of his worn out wand a circle of light illuminated the spot he was standing on. It was a basic spell that could be done by all elemental classes.

"Wow so cool! He can make light like the sun!" One of the children cheered. He looked genuinely astounded.

"Next will be…" Sebastian used his wand to generate a small stream of flame which stayed close to the tip of his wand. He gave it a few whirls to make a trail of light to simulate a picture similar to a sash used by some ballet dancers or gymnastics.

The young man received more claps from his young audiences. He felt truly grateful that his lacking abilities were enough to entertain such simple minded children. He even felt better when he saw from a far back that Tiffania too was clapping.

"You're amazing Sebastian." Said Tiffania while she clapped for the magic performer.

"Teehee…"

Sebastian smirked.

"Say, maybe I can perform on Tessa's birthday tomorrow. That might make her more happy right?" He said.

"Yeah I feel bad that Tessa's missing this." Said Thomas who was also watching Sebastian with full attention.

"It would be a wonderful gift!" Maria agreed with the idea.

"Yes and maybe Big Sister Tiffania can show her own brand of el…" Thomas and everyone else in the vicinity except Sebastian gasped.

"T-Thomas you idiot!" Maria quickly flared up and covered the boy's mouth with both her hands.

"Eh? Tiffania you know magic?" Sebastian who already understood what Thomas was about to say asked the elf who standing a few meters in front of him.

"Well I…"

Tiffania bowed her head down. She was not very keen with showing other people her magical abilities. People's fear of elves is one thing but their trauma of elven magic would be another. She's not quite sure if the humans that have come to accept her and her heritage would be able to accept her with her magic.

"Maybe a little…" Tiffania knew that there was no escaping Sebastian's curiosity after Thomas accidentally ignited it.

"Wow cool! Why didn't you say so earlier? Show it to me sometimes." Thomas jumped off the stage and offered his hand to Tiffania.

"That's…" Tiffania had a distant look in her eyes which the young man quickly noticed.

Sebastian's face turned from excited to calm and gentle. He flashed her a smile and approached her slowly.

"Magic is overrated. You don't have to show me if you don't want to." Said Sebastian.

"Y-Yes!" Tiffania's face immediately transformed into a bright smile.

"Big brother is so cool!" Thomas and some of the kids rushed and clung on to their 'big brother'.

"Cool? You guys stop that I'm gonna fall!" Sebastian flailed his arms as one child caused him to tip off balance to his right.

Tiffania's smile continued to shine as she watch Sebastian quickly get accepted by the kids.

"I wonder what Tessa's doing now." Tiffania remembered the birthday girl after she glanced at another girl who was near Tessa's age.

"They're probably buying toys right now." Sebastian snickered before swinging one boy in his arms and carefully setting him on a chair.

"Guuuh! Tessa's so lucky I want to go with uncle out too on my birthday!" One child pouted.

"Me too!" A little girl cheered excitedly while jumping eagerly.

"Me three!" A third youngster joined the fray.

"Now, now children, if you do that then we're really gonna trouble Sebastian and the kind mister!" Tiffania gently told off the kids.

"Ha, ha!"

Sebastian casually laughed

"Don't be so harsh to the kids. They're kids after all." Sebastian defended the little tikes playing around him.

"Sebastian you're so good with kids." Tiffania noticed how much the young man shines to the little ones.

"Well… maybe because I once had a sister! I loved to play with her when I was younger." Said Sebastian with a melancholic look on his face. He imagined his sister and the ten years old him running around their farm playing tag. His sister was only five then.

"You have a sister? How come I never see her?" Tiffania wondered. She went to the human village more than a couple of times now but she never saw someone who could be described as 'Sebastian's Sister.'

"Well…"

Sebastian's happy face instantly turned sour.

"She died because of a bandit raid." He said after a sigh and a long pause.

"Oh… I'm sorry…" Tiffania gasped. She accidentally stepped on a touchy subject. Even the children around them looked sad after hearing that.

"No how would you know of it. It's not your fault ha, ha!" Sebastian comforted the elf and laughed.

"I was only ten years old back then. All my family could do was watch the bandits take our valuables and our crops. One of the bandits grabbed my seven year old sister's waist and force her on their cart. My dad… he tried to stop them but he was knocked out cold by one of them using a club." Sebastian had a pitiful look on his face as he narrated his painful experience.

"That's… horrible…" Tiffania put her head down. Hearing that sad tale made her realize that she and the children there were still lucky to be alive despite the hostile history of the place.

"Ah! Fudge we're supposed to prepare for tomorrow's party! Let's not talk about depressing stuff!"

Sebastian forced himself to cheer up and grabbed one of the long paper made banner they made.

"Who wants to help me hang these?" He asked the children while luring them in with a big smile.

"Me!" One boy eagerly volunteered.

"I- I'll help too big brother!" Thomas rushed to the other end of the banner to help carry it from the other side.

"Why don't I ask my familiar to help us out too?" Sebastian placed his two of his fingers in his mouth and blew hard to whistle, a high pitched whistle. His whistle was answered by the mighty caw of a hawk. A red hawk swooped down from the sky and landed on his stretched arm.

"W-Wow, big brother what is that?" Thomas asked as he and the other kids gathered around the young man who petted the hawk's forehead.

"It's a rare crimson hawk, he's my familiar and I named him Taka." Sebastian introduced his summoned pet to the children.

"He's so cute can we pet him big brother?" Maria who was on her toes adoring Taka excitedly asked.

"S-sure I guess…"

Sebastian stuttered. He wasn't sure on how his familiar would react to the kids as this was the first time the hawk met the little bunch.

"Taka, let them pet you and be good to them okay?" The master requested to his pet which gave out a proud caw and stretched its wings before flying and perching on a nearby plank. The children happily rushed to it to touch its feathers and pet its head. They were no doubt very excited.

"Summoning a familiar, I heard that it's a very advanced magic." Tiffania stood beside Sebastian as they both watched the children play with Taka.

"So I thought, until I met this traveling magician. This guy passed our village, and when he found out that I secretly practiced magic, he sold me this scroll." Sebastian handed a small scroll to Tiffania.

"This is?" Tiffania accepted the scroll without opening it to see what it was.

"It's the chant to use the spell to summon a familiar. Maybe you'd want to summon your own." Sebastian explained.

"But I…" Tiffania tried to give the scroll back as she remembered her hesitance to use magic.

"Keep it Tiffa; I already have Taka so I won't need it. Mages can only summon one familiar in their lifetime. You don't know what will happen in the future and I'm sure an extra hand, claw or paw would help a lot." He pushed the scroll back to Tiffania.

"Um…" Tiffania, though still hesitant, took the scroll.

Meanwhile outside the village gate were about ten men on horses and cart. They had an astonished smile on their faces as they jumped off their horses and unsheathed their weapons.

"Well I'll be… Who knew there was such a treasure pile inside the forest?" Said Gaspar as he take his first step towards the wooden gate.

Meanwhile, in town, Tessa and the Old Man had just finished buying some souvenirs and toys. The toys Tessa bought were mostly all dolls ranging from hand crafted wooden figures to nicely woven cotton plushies.

"That was so fun uncle!" Tessa cheered as she hugged one of the soft plushy dolls she just bought.

"Who's up for dinner?" An old lady who happened to be the wife of the old man appeared with a tray of spiced Chicken.

"Wow yummy that looks tasty!" Tessa was quickly lured in by the delightful smell of the tender chicken.

"Of course! But everything's going to be better tomorrow for your birthday!" The old man invited Tessa to sit on the chair between him and his wife.

"I wish my brothers and sisters can eat with us now… they'll love this chicken." Tessa remembered some of her friends in the orphanage who had the taste for chicken meat.

"Oh don't worry about it Sebastian is there and we just replenished on chicken meat. I'm not sure if you know this but Sebastian is already a better cook than me." Said the old lady.

Tessa took a cut of the chicken leg and placed it in her mouth. After savoring its taste she wriggled her foot in delight and then smiled after swallowing it.

"This is awesome!" Tessa praised the dish some more.

"Oh Tessa you're such a darling child how I wish you were ours." Said the old lady.

"Eh?" Tessa who didn't hear that completely right turned and asked.

"Vanessa!" The old man gently and softly scolded his wife.

"I'm sorry I just…" The old lady had a tearful look on her face.

"Uncle please don't fight with Auntie!" Tessa tugged on the old man's sleeves. Her eyes distorted to a puddle of gleaming droplets as her emotions start to stir her up.

"Uh…" The old couple looked at each other. They felt ashamed that this child was stopping them from fighting.

"We're not fighting dear." The old lady patted Tessa's head.

"Yes, I love your auntie!" Said the old man who hugged his wife to show her affection for her to Tessa.

Tessa's face completely reverted to smiles and rainbows.

"Uwaii!" The girl cheered.

"Tessa… do you… like it here?" The old man asked hesitantly. Tessa is a hybrid of human and elf. Having a hybrid mother and a human elf, she had eighty percent human blood and only twenty percent elven. Thus her pointy ears were not that pointy and closer to a human's. To the couple this meant it would be easier to explain it as a faulty defect in birth and deny her elven heritage.

"Gulp!"

Tessa chugged down some of the orange juice that was on the table.

"Yes! I love it here!" The girl replied cheerfully with full honesty.

"Would you like to stay with Auntie and Uncle?" The old man continued this time with his wife beside him holding his right hand.

"Stay here?"

Tessa paused for a moment and looked down.

"Can my brothers and sisters come?" Tessa asked with hopeful eyes.

"N-no they're too many to fit in our little farm." The old man sighed and stuttered. He was afraid that the little girl would ask that.

"Oh…" Tessa sighed in a lonely gesture.

"B-but you can visit them any time you want!" Said the old man who sounded like a merchant trying to push himself on a big bargain.

"Really? Every day?" Tessa's gleeful appearance returned after hearing that proposal.

"W-well not every day but I can take you to them at least thrice a week." Said the old man.

"Well… will Auntie and Uncle be happy if I stay here?" Tessa replied. This time she had a gentle smile on her face.

"…!" Both the old folks were surprised by the youngster's question. They immediately knew that the young one understood how they felt.

"Yes! It would mean our lives if you will stay with us!" The old lady replied this time.

"If it means that auntie and uncle will smile more often then I'd love to stay here!" Tessa replied with such an angelic face that the hearts of the two immediately fluttered.

"Oh my dear!" The old lady hugged the little girl tight after hearing this approval.

"Honey you'll kill her!" The old man who was almost in tears stopped his wife from crushing the young elf.

After that joyous moment they continued to eating. They talked about the future times on what they would give Tessa after she joins their family. Tessa happily ate and listened to the two's stories. After eating the old lady urged the little girl to take a bath before sleeping.

"It's your birthday tomorrow and you have to look your best so you need to sleep early." Said the old lady.

"Uhm…"

Tessa pouted.

"I want to see that Big Sister again in the bar… I forgot to ask her name…" Tessa said this with a regretful tone.

"What Big Sister? And what bar?" The old lady looked at her wife with a disappointed look.

"Oh it's this girl that little Tessa here took a shine to. I took her there a few hours ago to show her this town's brand of entertainment." The old man replied after almost swallowing a ball of his saliva.

"This town's brand of entertainment at night is not good for children!" The old lady scolded her husband.

"Oh come now. Stella said that girl doesn't do those kinds of jobs. We'll just call Stella for that girl and ask her name then go back here. Then, we can all have a nice bath and sleep together like the one big happy family that we are." The old man replied.

"I don't know…" The wife couldn't decide whether to let them take that small trip to the bar or take Tessa immediately to the bathroom.

"Please auntie…" The little girl tugged on the old lady's long skirt beggingly.

"… Oh fine… but only if you promise to call me mom from now on." The old lady could not take that begging look on such a cute little girl.

"Hey no fair! She has to call me daddy too if that's the case!" The old man butted in.

"… eh? Okay!" Tessa nodded her head happily.

"Well there you go! Let's go then!" The old man gave the girl a piggy back ride.

"Don't be out too long!" The wife reminded the two of tomorrow and urged them to come back home early.

"Yes mommy!" Tessa replied. This caused the old lady to almost break in tears having heard the young girl call her 'mommy' for the first time.

The two, now father and daughter, leisurely made their way to the bar. They made a promise not to enter for its already nighttime and that place changes dramatically at night. Upon reaching the place they gently knocked on the backdoor where they were greeted by Stella.

"Uncle Howard and… Uncle what are you doing bringing a little child here at night?" Stella asked with a confused and judgmental look on her face.

"It's nothing like that, nothing like that."

The old man waved his hands in a 'no' gesture.

"My little girl here just wanted to know the name of the singer earlier. I wondered if we could see her." Explained the old man.

"Ah! She and her friends are currently staying in our house. You know where it is right?" Stella pointed at the direction her house was located.

"Of course. Let's go Tessa." The old man turned the other way towards the bar owner's home. Tessa happily nodded.

Stella's home wasn't too far from the bar and it wasn't hard to spot either. Being the owners of the sole Entertainment Bar in town, her family has gathered much wealth and is considered to be a part of the town's upper echelons. As they reached the gates of the small mansion they saw a young man with silver hair. He was wearing a buttoned red leather jacket while wearing a boy's cap on top of his silver hair. Beside him were two girls and another man. The old man recognized one of the girls as the pink haired dancer from this afternoon, the other who had short purplish, pinkish short hair was completely a stranger and so was the spiky blue haired man.

"Ah it's the man and little girl from before!" The flat chested pink hair gasped after seeing the old man and the little girl.

"Ha- ha, I'm sorry but is the singer from this afternoon inside? We want to talk to her if that's alright." The old man asked the group of four who just came from the gates,

"A-Ah well…" The silver-haired boy stuttered and scratched the back of his neck as his voice broke a little.

"S-She's inside b-but…" The pink long haired girl stood in front of the boy and waved her arms to cover him.

"Big sister we meet again!" To everybody's surprise Tessa jumped and hugged the young man by his waist.

"G-Gwah!" Gasped the boy.

Everybody in the group gasped 'eh?' as soon as the girl started cuddling on boy's arm.

"T-Tessa what are you talking about this person is clearly…" The old man tried to pull the little girl away but she grasped tightly around the boy's arm.

"Wahhh! But I want to know big sister's name!" The girl cried as she clung on the person she called 'big sister' tight.

The four strangers looked at each other and paused for a bit. The young man kneeled on the ground with one leg until he was about the child's level. He removed his hat to reveal the silver hair he had in a bun. He undid it until the old man too recognized his true identity.

"How did you know it was me?" The singer from before asked with a kind smile on her face as her hair swayed gracefully with the wind.

"From how you walk!"

Tessa cheerfully replied.

"Big sister has that a special cute sway on stage a while ago. Just now, even just a little I saw you do that unmistakable sway!" The little girl imagined the moves her idol did in the bar.

"Ahaha," the girl laughed.

"You must've been so used to the dance's moves that you unconsciously did it." The short haired girl with purplish hair commented.

"We don't mind though, it's really cute." The spiky haired man pushed forward a thumbs up with a sparkling smile.

"… It doesn't feel right coming from you." Replied the silver-haired girl to the man.

"Excuse me young miss but may I ask why you were taking the trouble to disguise yourself as a man?" The old uncle who felt that something was awkward with the girl's 'cross dressing' asked.

"Ah w-well…" The silver-haired struggled to find a suitable lie to cover for her but her tongue failed to work for her.

"We were going to meet with the guard officer of this town. However thanks to her work this afternoon my friend here gathered quite the fanbase and going as herself would be quite problematic at night especially since we'll be passing by the bar on the way there." The short haired girl replied for her friend. The lie was normally hard to believe but she was wearing something similar to a soldier's or a guard's outfit so it passed.

"Hmm… you're right, it does get rowdy inside and outside of that bar at night." The old man reminisced on the times where that bar almost shutdowned after drunk men decided to have a little showdown inside. Sometimes, women were harassed and even molested without the bar owner's knowledge only to find out in the morning after their worker has left.

"So, what does cute Tessa want with me?" The silver-haired patted Tessa and stroked the little girl's gorgeous silver locks.

"I wanted to ask for your name Big Sister! I didn't get to ask a while ago…" Tessa replied.

"Well I…"

The girl looked at her three comrades. The pink-haired girl nodded to her as if giving her the permission to do so.

"Archerko. You can call me Archerko." Archerko replied with a gentle smile as she turned to her admirer.

"Waii so can I call you Big Sister Archerko now?" Tessa asked after jumping eagerly having heard her idol's name.

"Of course! But when my hair is like this, and I'm wearing this…"

Archerko tied her hair once again in a bun and covered it with her boy's cap.

"I would be delighted if you can call me Shirouko." Archerko winked as she pushed her cap down until her other eye was covered.

"Ah! So it's Big Sis Archerko and Big Bro Shirouko then!" Tessa said out loud.

"Yup!"

Archerko replied and sprung to her feet.

"We need to go now, that acquaintance of ours must be waiting long now. I'll see you tomorrow for your birthday Tessa." Archerko waved and said her goodbyes.

"Okay!" Tessa nodded as she waved back to the group that just passed her and her new dad.

"We'll fetch you here tomorrow then Miss Archerko." The old man waved with his little girl as the group faded into the town's busy nighttime streets.

A few hours ago, in the West wood Village.

"You bastards! Let go of her!" Sebastian angrily shouted as he pointed his wand at a fat man who was holding an innocent little girl in his arms by her waist.

"Big brother I'm scared!" The little girl who was being held hostage by the man cried.

"Don't worry Cynthia it's going to be okay!" Sebastian called out to the little girl to soothe her.

Right now the entire village of children faced ten armed men who came in the village on their horses. They were no other than Gaspar and his band of rowdy bandits.

"Really? I wonder?"

The fat man drew out his sword and started to gently graze its blade over the girl's smooth skin. The blade did not come wound the girl but it came very close to doing so.

"What is this child's age? Six? Seven? Eight? I feel that it is at this age that their skin tastes the finest." Gaspar licked the little girl's face after a disgusting grin.

"You sick son of a bitch let her go!" Sebastian's wand began to glow bright red which suggested that he was about to cast a fire spell.

Before Sebastian could utter the spell a couple of bandits unsheathed their cutlasses and stood in front of him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You wouldn't want these kids to get hurt do you?" Gaspar mocked the young man as he was forced to step back from the bandits.

"Ugh…" Sebastian grunted as he looked helplessly while Gaspar and the bandits in front of him sneered and jeered him.

"To think that there are elven children hiding in the middle of the forest and they even formed a small village." The bandit leader had a smirk and an astounded look on his face.

"What do you need Gaspar? This village has no money in it!" Sebastian shouted.

"If it's wealth you want please leave! There's nothing we can give you!" Tiffania who could no longer bear to see the child cry begged.

"Oh but there's so much in here! It's true that I don't see any money or anything valuable but a girl like you would sell a lot won't you?" Gaspar replied before a hoarse laugh.

"Damn you Gaspar you intend to sell these children into slavery?" Sebastian couldn't help but think of his sister who was kidnapped in another bandit raid years ago.

"Well, not all of them. Of course we would have to keep some for our own pleasures won't we?" The bandit leader laughed sinisterly once again while everybody stuck close to Sebastian and Tiffania shivering.

"Big brother now!" A voice screamed out from the top of one of the houses before a small barrel landed on top of Gaspar's unsuspecting head.

"Argh!" The barrel crashed into pieces as it sent Gaspar to his knees.

The girl taken hostage by Gaspar grabbed his thumb and bit it hard.

"Grahh!" Screamed the fat bandit leader. The girl escaped from his arms but his men tried to catch her yet she was too fast and agile for them.

"Big brother!" Cried the little girl who just bravely escaped from her captor's arms.

"_Good job Thomas!_" Sebastian thought to himself as he pushed the girl behind him to protect her while preparing a spell.

"Get them!" Gaspar screamed an order as he struggled to his feet. He was holding his head while uttering painful groans and curses.

Upon seeing the bandits help their leader up and turn their blades towards him and the orphans, Sebastian burned the ground filled with paper and left over wood used in their party decoration in front him and successfully created a temporary safe zone that would take the bandits awhile to pass.

"Tiffania is there another way out?" He asked the elf who was busy herding the children away from the bandits and the fire.

"Yes. There's a backdoor." Tiffania nodded.

"Hurry! I'll keep them busy while you get all the children out!" Sebastian commanded.

"Uhm!" Tiffania nodded and urged the children to follow her. Maria the eldest of the orphans helped her big sister gather all the children as they made their way at the far side of the village.

"You rat!" One of the bandits managed to withstand the pain of passing through the firewall. He tried to grab Sebastian by his collar and pull him.

"Keep your hands to yourself you bastard!" Because of the flames, the bandit had not managed to get into a good position and was easily kicked back by Sebastian.

Without interference from the bandits Tiffania easily managed to get the children out of the village. She rushed to Sebastian's aid as soon as the last child was out the door.

"They're safe." Tiffania said while Sebastian slowly backpedalled.

"Okay let's go these flames should be enough to stop them for a while." Sebastian smirked at the panicking bandits as some of them had their clothes set on fire.

"Big brother! Big sister! Help!" A stressed call of a male child called out to them as they attempted to run for the back exit.

Tiffania and Sebastian were surprised to see Thomas, the boy who climbed on top of the roof one house and dropped a barrel on Gaspar was stuck between two of the houses and surrounded by flames. With the boy was with younger children who just came out of a small shack. They were unfortunately asleep when the bandits came and just got up.

"Thomas!" Tiffania cried as she dashed to help the eldest of male orphans.

"No!"

Sebastian grabbed his crush's hand and pulled her back.

"Leave! I'll take care of them!" He pushed the elf away then dashed to the five youngsters in the fire.

Tiffania was hesitant to leave the young man alone but she knew that she also needed to be with Maria and the other children who are currently on their own right now outside the village. With a heavy heart, she left the young man and left the village through the back without looking back.

Using his magical abilities to control fire, Sebastian managed to go to the children without getting burned. The kids hugged him as they reunited and he hugged them back to soothe their panicking.

"Don't worry I'm here we'll get out of here." Sebastian said this with a confident smile.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sebastian gasped in surprise as chills went up his spine. The bandits whom he suppressed have made it through the first layer of fire wall that he created.

"Gaspar! It's me you want let these children go!" Bravely said the boy as he faced the bandit leader and four other bandits who made it through the wall.

"Oh we don't need you; much less would we want you. However I assure you we will kill you."

Said Gaspar with an angry look on his face. His head was bloodied from the barrel that crashed on top of him courtesy of Thomas.

"And you boy… I will make sure that you're sold to the sweat house for this wound you gave me." He turned to Thomas then grinned.

"Do you think I'll let you do that you sick bastard?" Sebastian was about to cast another fire spell to hinder the bandits but the sound of children squealing caught his attention.

"Brother Sebastian!" Cried one seven year old boy. The head of the boy was locked in one of the arms of a bandit who went behind one of the houses.

"Let go of him you son of a bitch!" Sebastian reached for the bandit who snatched the child but he felt something blunt hit his spine before he could reach the man. He fell on the floor face first without seeing who clobbered him.

"Brother!"

Thomas who was beside Sebastian that time hurried to the young man's side to help him but a hand stopped him from going further.

"Let go of me you brute!" Screamed Thomas whose hand was trapped in a bear trap like grip of the bandit leader.

"This is for the barrel!" Without feeling any remorse for the young elf, Gaspar sent the boy flying with his fist. The boy fell on the ground unconscious after crashing on a wooden wall with a swollen face.

"Gaspar you bastard! He's a child!" Groaned Sebastian who saw the child fall in front of him.

"You're still awake? No matter you won't be opening your eyes again after I'm done with you."

Said Gaspar as he mocked and kicked the fallen teen's side.

"I wonder why you would sacrifice your life for these elves. Your father pays us lots every time he passes us in a wagon so we would've left you alone if you had just walked away. Is it because you remember your sister?" The bandit leader sighed as if he was mourning the loss of a huge asset.

"M-My sister? How do you... you!" Sebastian was angered at what the bandit was implying.

"Yes, back then I wasn't the leader of our proud pack so you might not have noticed me. But I was the one who truly enjoyed your sister. That cute young thing would scream lots every I visited her cage. I paid our leader good money from my share just monopolize her. Every night she would call your name for your help. Poor child never knew that you would never come." Gaspar described in excruciating detail how he violated the little girl every night as Sebastian twitched in anger.

"Where is she?" Sebastian asked. Deep inside his heart he still wished for his sister to be safe despite all the hardships she went through.

"One night she just stopped responding to me. In simple terms, the training I gave her to be my perfect pet broke her mind. No one wants a broke slave. So I threw her away. I'm not sure if she lived or died. If she did die then you'll be meeting her soon." Gaspar laughed sinisterly after the thought of the girl's death that he ravaged so frequently before.

"Taka!" Sebastian shouted with everything he got. It was answered by the mighty shriek of his pet hawk which swooped down to his aid.

"What the!"

Gaspar was surprised to see a bird of that size appear above them. As he raised his head, the hawk dug its talons on his right eye socket and took his eye out.

"Grahh!" Gaspar cried in agony.

"B-Boss!" The bandits were terrified to see their boss in anguish. They rushed to his aid but it was too late, nothing could be done with his lost eye.

"I guess I took your sight out first… well half of it tee-he." Sebastian joked in reference to Gaspar's threat of making him 'not open his eyes ever again'.

"You son of a bitch!" Gaspar with all his rage took out one of his men's cutlass from its sheath and slashed as the boy's neck.

The pain was only momentary for the young man. He felt his blood rush out of his neck and it was warm. Was this how his sister felt when she was thrown away by the same man? He could only ask so many questions. Before his world turned black the only picture he could see was the picture of his sister chasing him when they were still kids and the picture of the elf he loved smiling at him, alive and well.

"I'm sorry… Tiffania… looks like I won't be there to perform for Tessa tomorrow…" He murmured to himself as his blood drenched the soil he laid on.

Meanwhile not too far away from the village, Tiffania and the other kids were in a hidden living space inside the forest. This place used to be where the old West Wood Village stood but it was too far from the town where they bought their provisions so they travelled nearer and made the other West Wood Village.

"Is everybody all right?" Tiffania asked the kids in her care along with Maria. There were close to thirty of them.

"Big Sister there are five missing children including Thomas!" Maria reported with a panicked and stressed out voice.

"Don't worry I'm sure Sebastian will save them." Tiffania hugged the scroll close to her heart. As she did, her eyes opened wide as she remembered what the scroll was for. She hurriedly opened it and took out the wand she hesitantly carry around every day.

"What are you doing Big Sister Tiffania?" Maria asked. She looked at how the older elf hurriedly read the text from the scroll.

"If… If I can summon a familiar maybe we can help them!" Tiffania said with hopeful eyes.

"B-But can a bird, a dog or anything along those lines even really help us?" Maria asked after she remembered that Sebastian's familiar was a mere hawk. It was an impressive hawk but against armed bandits would something like that be really useful?

"But I heard that even dragons can be summoned as a familiar maybe if I…"

Tiffania closed her eyes as she imagined the words in the scroll.

"My servant that existed somewhere in this vast universe, my divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant, heed my call, I wish from very bottom of my heart and add to my guidance and appear!"

A white flash of light covered the place. Maria and the children closed their eyes as the spell began to manifest. A hole was torn open in their dimension and from it a white figure of a man fell in a blur.

"Argh!"

Cried the man. He had red hair with some gray tint and was wearing white polo uniform required by the university he was studying in. He was holding a plastic bag in his hand which was filled with 'Häagen-Dazs' Ice Cream and some fried tempura.

"W-What… Where… Who…" He panicked as he stood up and see the vast forest and greenery around him.

"My name is Tiffania Westwood. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar." Tiffania who had no time to explain everything gently touched the stranger's cheeks and kissed him to finish the spell.

"E-Eh? What's going on?" Shirou Emiya cried out loud after tasting the lips of a young elven maiden.

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><p>AN: Yeap, Here comes the unlimited harem work king<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

**Void Bladeworks**

**(A Zero no Tsukaima and Fate / Stay Night crossover)**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: My god, i don't own this!<br>**

**AN : dun dun dun update!  
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**Kinunatzs: it's at the very bottom of the chapter  
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**Taeniaea: Thankies!  
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**Fangking2: That is a secret~  
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**Zaralam: Thanks again!  
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**Sacchin: It's all in this chapter  
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**PrivateSargent: May your impatientness be cured with this chapter 3**

**KenZe: glad you like this story!  
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**Fan of Fanfics21: People die when they are killed...  
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**MWkillkenny84: And it's gonna keep getting better~  
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**NecroMac: Harem...? Sounds appealing...  
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**Trans: There'll be lots of "Dafuq" moments incoming  
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**XxBlademaster79xX: F/SN shirou is summoned**

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><p>"So let me guess this straight, the name of this country is Albion? Your name is Tiffania? And I'm supposed to be your familiar?" Shirou asked. He was sitting on a dead log while Tiffania, accompanied by Maria tried to explain to him what was going on.<p>

"I'm sorry sir-…" Tiffania struggled to find the name to call her new found familiar.

"Shirou Emiya…" Shirou said after seeing the helpless expression on the elf's face.

"I'm sorry sir Shirou Emiya but I was trying to summon a powerful dragon or beast to help us. It wasn't my intention to summon you." The elf apologized with her head bowed.

"I wonder… is this how Saber felt?" The red haired man placed one his leg over the other then used it as support for his arm which held his drooping chin as he sighed. He remembered how he unintentionally summoned Saber before when Lancer attempted to liberate his life from his flesh.

"We were just trying to do everything we can to save our brothers, sisters and our friend." Maria defended Tiffania and tried to rationalize their mistake of calling the young man to their world.

"I wish I can say 'I understand' but I'm really lost here. What is this place? A completely different world?" Shirou stood up and surveyed his surroundings. The green forest did remind him of the lush beautiful forest of earth but the sky was a combination of blue and red and he could see two moons.

"Eh?" Tiffania and Maria looked at each other. The man was speaking about an alternate world different from theirs; they merely thought he was from another country before.

"We're not sure what you mean sir…" Tiffania replied.

"Well I'm from…"

Shirou sighed. He knew that any explanation he will give will just confuse them more.

"Anyway… you wanted to save your friends? What trouble are they in?" Shirou asked. He knew that if he wanted answers from them he had to help them solve their problem first. After all that was the reason he was summoned.

"A bunch of bandits attacked our small village. Some of the children got left behind and our friend stayed behind to help them. It has been hours since then and they still haven't come." Tiffania paused as she welcomed the scary thought of the children's and Sebastian's death.

"There they are! After them!" Shouted a voice from inside the forest. The voice didn't sound too far away.

Everybody looked in the direction where the voice came from to see three bandits wielding rapiers and cutlasses charging in. The children panicked behind Maria and Tiffania at the sight of the bandit's scary faces and sinister intent.

"H-How did they follow us?" Maria screamed. The place is supposed to be really hard to find as it stood to be their secret place before the new West Wood Village was founded.

"Are those the bandits you were talking about?" Shirou stepped in front of Tiffania to shield her from incoming brutes.

"Yes they're the ones who ransacked our village."

Tiffania replied while gathering the children in one place as they attempted to make an escape.

"Please run away sir Emiya you don't have to be involved here." Tiffania apologized once again and urged Shirou to save his own life.

Shirou looked at the elf's face for a second and paused. Then, just as the bandits neared he snapped a twig from a dead tree and walked forward the direction of the three bandits.

"M-Mister!" Tiffania cried out as she tried to reach for the back of the man who seemed to be walking towards his own doom.

"Trace… On!" Shirou shouted and the meter long branch he was holding glowed for a fraction of a second.

The brutes continued to rush towards them despite seeing an opposition.

"Who's that?" One of the bandits asked as he raised his cutlass for an immediate coup de grace when he nears his opponent.

"Probably another good Samaritan. That elf sure knows how to use her boobs." A second bandit replied implying that Tiffania might have seduced the man into helping them.

"Bah he will soon meet the same fate of that other man! Kill him!" Said the third bandit who prepared to thrust his rapier into the man's heart.

Shirou continued to walk forward without flinching or batting his eyelashes. Instead he held his chest high as he raised the branch he reinforced with his magic.

"Stay behind me." Shirou commanded to the girls and children who he now placed under his care.

"Urah!" Roared the first bandit as he lunged at the young man.

"What do you think that stick is going to do to us huh?" The second bandit waited for his turn to attack as the first covered his path.

The cutlass and the dead tree branch collided as Shirou delivered a head level horizontal strike to block the bandit's vertical lunging attack. Everybody expected to see a chopped up lumber and a bleeding fool but what they saw was the complete opposite. The cutlass broke against the blunt force of the reinforced branch and shattered into tiny shards which rebounded on the man's face.

"Ah my eyes!" Cried the bandit whose face now bleeds due to the small broken shards of his own sword.

"W-What?" The second bandit doubled back as he saw his comrade fell on his knees crying about his face.

The third bandit who did not see what and how it happened charged in with his rapier. A swift thrust to the young man's heart would end this conflict once and for all and they would have a new sex slave and some money from selling children into slavery.

"This level of thrust is nothing compared to that of lancer's…" Shirou said with an almost disappointed tone. He noticed a similar branch from another dead tree broke it off and held it with his free hand. Then using the two branches like dual blades he caught the rapier between them as he feinted sideways.

"Let go of my sword you bastard!" Shouted the bandit whose rapier was stuck between Shirou's sticks.

"Hwah!" The boy ignored the bandit's threats and kicked him hard in the abdomen. The brute lost his grip on his rapier and fell on his back on the muddy ground. On his way to sitting up his face was met by the tip of Shirou's leather shoes. A piece of tooth from bandit's broken jaw flew out of his mouth and landed beside the foot of his fear stricken comrade.

"W-Who are you?" The last remaining bandit who pursued Tiffania and children asked while still firmly gripping his cutlass.

"I don't think you understand we're the one entitled to ask questions here…" Shirou raised his right hand with the blunt tip of his branch pointed at his opponent.

"Die!" In a desperate attempt to escape, the bandit threw his cutlass at Shirou and started running the opposite direction.

Behind Shirou were an innocent maiden and some little children. If he dodged the spinning cutlass there's a chance that it will cause harm to the innocent bystanders behind him. However, dodging the cutlass was never a part of his choice. Compared to the Mach speedof hrunting or Saber's instantaneous movements, the cutlass was moving rather slow. With a swing of his stick, the cutlass threat was immediately resolved. Then, before the bandit could gain a far enough distance to lose them, he threw his own reinforced weapons spinning at the running coward. The dead branches flew apart from each other then met again crushing the bandit's right knee in between. He fell on one leg crying in pain.

"These guys should be able to tell us where your friends are." Said Shirou who clapped his hands as if he was removing the dust from the two dirty branches he used as weapons.

"Ah…" Tiffania and Maria were speechless after seeing the new familiar's performance.

"I-Is this the power of a familiar big sister?" Maria grabbed Tiffania's right sleeve in sheer awe.

"I d-don't know…" replied Tiffania who was turning dizzy thanks to Maria's shaking.

"I am not sure what this familiar business is all about but I'm going to help you find your friends."

Shirou raised his right fist to show his determination.

"First we have to make them talk."

He said as he walked to the bandit who was hugging his knee in anguish.

"But even before that."

Shirou tossed one of the cups of 'Häagen-Dazs' Ice Cream to one of the children who caught it with both hands.

"Let's eat… If there's something I learned from these past few years it's that hunger is the enemy." Quoted Shirou from a famous king known for her unparalleled ability to finish a whole feast in one sitting.

In the opposite side of the forest, after a night of rest, a wagon is about to depart. On the driver's seat, holding the belt to steer the horses was the Old Store/Farm owner. Behind him and inside the cart were four people. Nearest to him was the little girl who calls herself Tessa. She was wearing a pink shirt inside her blue jumper. She was busy associating herself with the girl she just met yesterday and now looks up to. This girl's name is Archerko.

Archerko, the silver haired singer, was wearing a collared pink blouse with matching blue pants. The outfit almost made her look boyish if not for her beautifully carved breast that she allowed to shape freely inside her bra. On her face, she wore an opera mask that puzzled her little admirer. The opera masked covered only her eyes and nose with white plastic. The nose part of the mask was pointy which almost mimics the beak of a bird.

"Big-sis Archerko! Why are you wearing a mask?" Asked Tessa. She had the most curious look on her face as she tilted her head sideways while looking at Archerko.

"It's a birthday party. It's more fun wearing masks right?"

Replied Archerko before pulling out another mask inside a leather bag.

"Here, I got you one too." The silver-haired smiled as she handed the little girl another white opera mask. Unlike her mask, this mask didn't have a pointy nose and covered only the little girls eyes and a part of her cheeks.

"It's so cool and pretty!" Tessa cheered as she received her first gift from Archerko.

"Thank you for inviting us as well Tessa." A girl with long pink hair interrupted. This girl was no other than the noble Louise Francoise Le Blanc de la Valliere. She was wearing a rather dashing black two piece tube and dress which skirt stretches to her knees. She too was wearing a mask; her mask was colored white too and revealed most of her face except for her left cheek.

"Um!" Tessa nodded and smiled. Her smile mirrored an innocent little angel.

"We're traveling on a cart like this wearing these? I like it! Not conspicuous at all!" Said the fourth person in the carriage. The person calls herself Bazett Fraga McRemitz. Unlike the others, the clothes she's wearing stands out as she's the only one with a cape. The edge of the upper end of her red cape which she wore on her shoulders had expensive eagle feathers sticking out. The mask she wore only covered her eyes but was colored red, blood red. She also wore a black cowboy cap that's complete with a string. She wore a black shirt with a red stripe around its borders and black leather pants and shoes.

"B-Bazett… couldn't you find a more… err… lighthearted outfit?" Archerko who was worried that her companion might scare the other children when they arrived there asked.

"What? From where I come from children loved these kinds of costumes. Also, I find this costume very handy because it can help with stealth in the jungle. In case of bandit attacks." Bazett replied and rationalized her choice of garment.

"Don't jinx it Bazett… besides I doubt there are bandits in these parts of the forest." Archerko giggled with the attempt to change the topic.

"Actually, she's right lady Archerko."

The old man steering the horses interrupted and joined their conversation.

"There are opportunistic scalawags lurking in these roads. Why, just yesterday a couple of thugs stopped us and we had to cough up some gold just to pass thru." Explained the old man.

"I- I see…" Archerko had to gulp down her own saliva that formed on the top of her tongue. She felt rather apprehensive now that she knows that there's a chance they'd need to ruffle some bad guys. She wasn't scared of them, for she has no reason to, but she rather not show the little girl her special abilities.

"Nothing to worry about, I've prepared all my runes just in case…" Bazett flashed Archerko her gloves filled with different runes laid on top of each other.

"By the way Bazett where's that guy?" Asked Archerko with 'that' pertaining to the blue haired man who constantly tries to woo her.

"Miss Tabitha said that she would scout ahead with her dragon so I had him accompany her. I think it was the best decision since I know how you feel about going with him." Replied Bazett.

The five travelled while merrily chatting about random stuff as they made their way to the forest.

"We're near!" Tessa cheered as soon as they see a glimpse of the jungle.

"Everyone please, whatever happens keep calm." The old man turned to them and warned them while steering the horses.

"Is this the place?" Archerko remembered the old man talking about bandits stopping them yesterday. She wondered if it was there where they were halted by such thugs.

"Yes we're actually very near. It feels weird though. Yesterday just before we entered the forest we already saw a couple of muscular lowlifes grinning at us before we were stopped." The old man carefully surveyed his surroundings for any signs of hostility. He was very suspicious about the unusually serenity of the road.

"Well they're bandits right? They're probably raiding a random cart somewhere." Louise replied to try and ease the worries of the old man.

"I don't want to sound mean but I hope you're right." Said the old man.

"Dad that's so mean of you!" Tessa puffed up her cheeks and looked at her new father with a disappointed expression.

"Ahaha I'm only kidding Tessa, I'm only kidding." The father laughed and was amazed at the sincere purity of his new daughter. Deep inside though, he meant what he said. He rather have someone else take the misfortune than have Tessa and his guests in danger because of the thugs.

Archerko and Bazett looked at each and nodded. They had very serious looks on their faces but both of them did not say a word until they entered the forest.

"Is there a problem Big Sister Archerko?" Tessa noticed the silver-haired girl rub her nose gently and had an irritated look on her face.

"N-nothing I'm just allergic with some of the plants." Replied Archerko. It was a good lie for the forest greenery they were now crossing were filled with hundreds of varieties of plants.

"Eh? We should have brought some medicine then…" Tessa pouted. She felt bad seeing her idol look irritated.

"Don't worry Tessa it's only a mild allergy." Archerko patted the girl's head who responded by rubbing her hair on the singer's palm.

Archerko turned to Bazett again and this time she tilted her head to a direction. Bazett nodded her head.

"I'll go check for these plants of yours." Bazett said before jumping and back flipping off the carriage.

"Miss!" The old man was surprised as his passenger passed him and his horses.

"W-What are you doing Bazett?" Louise reached for Bazett who started running forward ahead of the carriage.

"I'm just going to get rid of those plants!" Replied Bazett who waved back before running off.

"T-That's one interesting body guard you have Miss ar- what the!"

The old man almost froze to death as Archerko appeared beside him.

"H-How did you…!" He stuttered and almost lost control of the horses.

"Heeeeeh! Miss Archerko how did you get there?" Tessa was shocked to see the silver locks of the girl flutter in front of her beside her father while Archerko was beside her petting her head just a minute ago.

"It's a special skill." Archerko turned behind her and winked at the little girl.

"So cool!" The girl looked astonished as her eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Anyway…"

Archerko kept her voice down and made sure only she and the old man can hear her.

"Do you think you can stop the carriage for a while?" Archerko asked.

"Eh? W-Why?"

The old man was surprised with Archerko's request that he almost raised his voice.

"Is it because of your allergy?" The old man asked wondering if the silver-haired girl wanted to wait for her bodyguard to come back first before pushing through.

Archerko looked at the old man in the eye before letting out a sigh. She paused her breath for a moment and leaned closer to the man's ear.

"Sir, I don't have an allergy. I said that to not upset or scare Tessa but, we think there are corpses ahead." Archerko whispered with a serious look on her face.

"What? T-That's ridiculous. How can you be so sure?" The old man faked a laugh to hide his nervousness.

"Please sir. That pungent smell of blood is in that direction. I don't want to have Tessa see something she's not prepared for." Archerko pleaded. This time, she grasped the man's wrist gently while begging for his decision to stop for a while.

The old man hesitated for a moment then looked at the thick greenery in front of them. How he wished that she was wrong and that the blood scent they smell was only from a deer killed by a lion. However, deep inside his mind he feared that he might have lost one son in favor of a new daughter.

"Oh okay…"

The father sighed before turning behind him to find a wondering Tessa.

"We'll stop for a bit and rest." He said to the little girl.

"Eh? But why?"

Tessa asked with curiosity written all over her face.

"T-There are some blockade up ahead that we need to clear first. Please be patient my dear." The old man struggled to formulate a lie then patted her daughter's head.

"Mmm…"

Tessa placed her finger inside her mouth and tilted her head as she examined her father's face.

"Okay!" She replied cheerfully and surprised everyone who thought that she wouldn't fall for the obvious lie.

"Well! I'm going to check it out please stay here!" Archerko jumped off the carriage while keeping her cheerful and calm composure.

"Archerko what's going on?" Louise wanted to jump off the cart too but she was stopped by Archerko with a hand signal.

"Louise please take care of Tessa and the good sir. I won't be gone long." With a smile and a wave, Archerko turned away from them and disappeared through the forest.

Louise wanted to go with her but the look Archerko gave her before she sprinted away was very familiar. From that glance Louise knew that her familiar just gave her an important task to protect the two people with her.

"A familiar giving orders to her master… I will have to punish her later." Louise gritted her teeth while imagining a long leather whip inside her hands.

"L-Louise is scary." Tessa noticed the change in Louise's face and backed away almost in tears.

"W-Wah?"

Louise gasped and remembered that she had a child next to her.

"I- I'm sorry I imagined something annoying. A-ha…a-ha… Ahaha."

She forced a laugh before grabbing something in her bag.

"H-here have some delicious cupcakes that your big sister Archerko cooked." She offered the girl a bunch of muffins to soothe her.

"Yayyyyy!" The girl cheered as she accepted and munched on the offering.

A bit further in the forest a tomboy was kneeling on one knee on the ground while carefully examining what seems to be the body of a young boy lying on his back. Though the lifeless body of another human being usually deters most people away or make them choke and puke, the enforcer was calm as she observed the jagged cuts on the boy's body.

"So it's a corpse after all." Said a voice behind Bazett.

"No… this one is still alive. But he won't make it. I say he has a minute at best…" Said Bazett. She sounded sad per se but not mortified.

"I see… we should at least ask him for any last wish he might still have."

Archerko frowned as she knelt with one knee beside her friend.

"Hey there…"

She touched the boy's cheek which caused the boy to twitch a bit before weakly opening his eyes. She removed her mask and kept it inside her pocket to look at the boy directly.

"You're about to go to a far off place. Do you have anything you want or anything you want done before you go off in your journey?" Archerko tried to be subtle in telling the boy of his own eminent death.

"P-Please… save… my friends… save my brothers and sisters… please…" The boy jolted. It was a sign that his punctured lungs were beginning to fail. The lack of oxygen in his blood has already affected his heart which in turn could no longer pump oxygen in his lungs and other parts of his body. It was a cycle that equates to death.

"Did… the bandits do this?" Archerko asked. She hoped that the boy could at least give them some information before he leaves this world.

The boy nodded in response then weakly stretched out his arm to the silver-haired girl in front of him. Archerko grasped the boy's hand tightly and felt his pulse began to drop. It's coming, she could tell that the grim ripper is just behind the boy but she was thankful that death was still patient.

"I will use everything in my disposal to look for your friends. The bandits' blades will pierce my chest first before they harm a strand of your brothers' and sisters' hair. Leave this mortal realm knowing that your murderers will face justice in trial or by the tip of my blade." Archerko assured the dying child of his comrades' safety. She had a determined look on her face as she made her vow.

The boy smiled gently at former servant before his head collapsed side-wards. His eyes failed to close completely as life left his human shell. Before the last breath was made his lips uttered one final word as the grim reaper embraced his soul. That word was 'thank you'.

Archerko paused for a moment until she was sure that the boy was dead. She used her right hand to close the boy's eyes.

"Rest in peace." She said while smiling before she stood up and turned to Bazett who was standing beside her.

"There you are! What took you girls so long?" A third voice came to join the two girls. It was the old man, the father of Tessa.

Both Archerko and Bazett turned to the old man. Archerko moved aside so that the old man may see what it is that caught their attention.

"What is it? Is it a… wait that's…!"

The old man's face distorted with mortified despair and anguish as he recognized the face of the lifeless young boy.

"T-Thomas!" The old man cried. He knew that the boy was the eldest male orphan in West Wood Village. Like Tessa, Thomas was a child pretty close to the old couple. He was the first to be introduced to them for he was Tiffania's escort the first time she bought goods in their shop. The sight of the boy's

Archerko and Bazett were wide eyed as soon as they found out that the old man knew the child. They were now about ninety percent sure that the bandits attacked the place of their destination. It was now apparent that they could not continue on with young Tessa on board mainly because the little girl would be traumatized if she saw her loved ones dead.

"W-Who? Who did this?" Asked the old man in an angry tone at the girls.

"We had an idea who did it. So before the young boy lost his life… we asked him… 'was it the bandits?' and he nodded." It was hard for Archerko to describe the state of the boy when he helped them find out who his murderers were.

"Gas… Gas… Gaspard!"

The old man shouted angrily almost as if he was at war with the earth and skies. He froze when he remembers the entire village with his son in it. What could have happened to those children that he loved so dearly? What could have happened with his only son and the girl that son wanted to marry? The old man hurried to Archerko and grabbed her by her collar.

"W-We must find my son and the rest of the orphans!" Said the old man in a desperate tone. He was shaking so much like was having a bad case of epilepsy.

Archerko looked at the old man and pitied him. She could only imagine the pain he was in.

"We can't simply take Tessa there with us. I'll get Louise and Tessa home while Bazett can accompany you there. Is that alright?" Archerko shared her plans with the two.

The old man nodded. He couldn't talks as his throat was still dry after seeing the corpse of the boy. He felt ashamed that a stranger like Archerko prioritized Tessa's safety more than he did in this situation.

"Please take care of my daughter…" The old man said this softly yet in his voice you could sense a lot of determination.

"Um!"

Archerko nodded with a confident and reassuring smile on her face.

"Bazett I don't have to worry about a few mishaps of society overpowering The Answerer right?" Archerko jokingly said to Bazett who grinned in reply.

"I might mess my costume up and might have to change before the party." The enforcer returned a confident comment before turning away to accompany the old man forward.

It didn't take a few minutes and Archerko was finally back with Louise and Tessa on where she left them and the carriage.

"Archerko you sure have some explaining to do!" Louise jumped off the carriage as soon as Archerko was near it.

"I'll explain everything later. For now we have to go back to the town." Archerko replied while unbuckling one of the horses from the carriage.

"E-Eh? Something happened hasn't it?" Louise can already imagine what Archerko and Bazett found.

Archerko nodded and placed her finger on her lips as a signal for Louise to keep quiet about it. She turned her eyes to Tessa which meant that the reason Louise had to be quiet about it was for the little girl.

"Tessa uncle said we have a change of plans. We're going to have the party in the town so your brothers and sisters can enjoy the place as well!" Archerko called to Tessa who leaned over curiously as to what is happening.

"Eh? What's wrong with the village?" Tessa asked while tilting her head as a sign of her wonder.

"It's unfair if it's only Tessa who gets to see the club rand other fun parts of the town right? Uncle will fetch the others. He said we need to go back first." Archerko explained. Even though it was a lie, she explained this very calmly.

"But…" Tessa pouted. Though she likes the town, she also wanted to celebrate her birthday in the village she once lived. Especially now that she will live in the town with the old couple.

"Ne, ne Tessa look at this!" With a wave of her hands Archerko summoned three golden swords around her and made them spin slowly above her head. She made sure that the swords looked elegant to not frighten the little girl.

"Waaaah!" Tessa's eyes gleamed with awe as the swords spin and move around them. They too were gleaming in golden shine which lured the little girl further in.

"I can do magic tricks like this! I have some more for Tessa and everybody else but I left them in the village. Can you help me get them?" Archerko faked a small frown to beg Tessa for her permission to travel back to the town.

"Um…"

Tessa paused for a bit while the shiny harmless swords paraded themselves in front of her. She was suspicious of why Archerko was adamant to go back but her love for shiny objects and magic got the better of her.

"Sure~!" She shouted cheerfully.

"Waaaii now we can get prepared!"

Archerko picked up Tessa and placed her on the horse. She jumped on the horse and sat behind the little girl before reaching her hand for Louise who used her as support to get on the horse behind Archerko.

"We're not taking the carriage?" Tessa asked.

"It's faster and more fun on a horse! Besides we're leaving the carriage in case uncle and the other children need it." Archerko lied. With a shout and a tap with her feet, Archerko rode off to the town with Tessa and Louise.

About five hours ago, and a few hours before the sun rises one man a woman and a few children were quietly sneaking in the bushes. Their leader, the red headed man was wearing an armor made of cheap leather and a leather helmet that covered his entire face and had holes for his eyes mouth and ears. The woman beside him was wearing a traveling cape, a hood and a wand in her right hand. Behind them were children wearing different kinds of kitchen utensils on them like frying pans on their heads to act as helmets while wielding thick branches as weapons.

"Sure is kind of the three sirs to tell us where they are." Said Tiffania while following the man in front of her through the bush.

"Neh…"

Shirou called out softly behind him.

"Why are you guys coming again?" He asked the girl and the children with her in a tired voice.

A small portion of the orphans excluding Maria and some very young little girls joined Shirou and Tiffania. Shirou tried to stop them before going here but they were too persistent.

"We can't just let Shirou-san go alone. That would be so much trouble for you…" Tiffania replied with a lonely voice. Shirou could see how depressed she is about this situation.

"No offense but, does anyone of you have any actual experience in combat?" Shirou asked worriedly. As much as he appreciated the extra help, there's a thin line between helping and being a burden in the field of battle.

"No but I believe that everyone needs a first time to gain experience!" Tiffania replied optimistically.

"…" Shirou paused. That logic is indeed true but he hoped that their first time wouldn't be so life threatening. Maybe a sparring? A small skirmish? Both of those mentioned are okay but having to rescue a bunch of kids from a whole gang of blood thirsty bandits is past that line.

"The man before said that they were going to use our village as a second base of operations. We have an advantage because we know all the corners and secret doors in the village." Tiffania said to encourage Shirou.

"Okay but… everyone come here first and gather."

Shirou ordered everyone to come in front of him.

"Put all your weapons and kitchen utensils err… armor… down in front of me."

The red haired boy felt awkward about calling such things as 'armor' when he already witnessed true armors like Saber's dress and Gilgamesh's garb. Everybody including Tiffania placed their weapons and armor in front of Shirou. They wondered what the boy would do with such unorthodox fighting items.

"Hmm…"

Shirou took each one of those items and applied his magic on them, reinforcement.

"There, those things are a hundred times stronger and sturdier now." He said as he handed the last item to the last boy in the group.

"Wow! Is that magic?" One of the children asked. He used his reinforced branch to hit the trunk of a tree and surprisingly the three centimeter thick branch carved a four centimeter dent on the tree.

"I wouldn't call it that…" Replied Shirou. Despite the reinforcement he was still unsure of their victory against the bandits. He would pretty much like to go in by himself.

Then again, he would rather have Saber by his side to fight with him as she always did. A few hours ago just after they defeated the three bandits he tried summoning Arturia to his side only to find out that his command spells were gone. In place of it was a different rune which he did not know anything about.

Thirty minutes of sneaking and tiptoeing they finally reached the back wall of the village the children used to call home. Surprisingly, even after only a few hours since they abandoned it, the bandits have already created a small platform to act as a watch tower for enemies. Thankfully none of the bandits knew any form of magic and the light of the torches outside the gates were too dim to spot their group.

"Okay guys here's the plan. It's really late in the night I can bet that the bandit guard standing on that tower is probably half asleep. Three of us will go there, which will be me and two of you children, then take out the guy, tie him up then use that tower to scout and pan the area." Shirou explained.

"O-okay b-but how do we let everyone know about the situation?" One of the older children asked. It's a real worry. Even if their sentry would see any nearby bandit there was no way to shout it out without causing their enemies to be on alert.

"Here…" Shirou took out of his pocket a large handkerchief almost the size of a scarf. It was large but surprisingly thin because it was made from very fine silk just double the thickness that of a Japanese Paper.

"A hanky?" The boy scratched his head confused.

"When someone is nearby let that hang off the ledge. Don't wave it! Just let it hang."

Shirou had a very serious expression on his face when he said this.

"And everybody else. I need you to always keep attention on that tower. If you see the white handkerchief hanging make sure you either stand still until I clear everything or hide behind something!There will be no way to tell their positions so be alert." He commanded. Right now he wished he had access to his world's technology for a simple walky-talky that would really make things much easier. He remembered Rin using some form of magic before that allowed them to communicate inside their minds but he was never good at those so 'fuck that' he thought to himself.

Shirou knew the plan they came up with was a shitty make-do plan that will probably fail ninety percent of the time. But it's the only thing they've got and they had to rescue those kids who are still probably inside. Without further ado he tiptoed to the stairs that led up the tower and climbed it silently. He signaled for the two boys to wait below while he took care of business above.

Shirou's luck could not have been better. It was as he expected. The bandit guard was lazily snoozing while sitting on a chair. He was never one to hit someone in their weakest state but this wasn't a battle for honor but a skirmish to save lives. Using his Gradation Air ability, he summoned an iron pipe in his right hand. Then with one swoop he struck the bandit guard directly on the back of the head. The poor thug couldn't even yelp before he once again fell unconscious on the floor. Shirou did not kill the man but tied him up with a rope that was conveniently near the man. He was thankful that he could tie the guy instead of taking his life.

The boy signaled for his two watchers to climb up to fulfill their roles. Like brave little soldiers, the two climbed the tower hastily and took their post. From there they could see the entire area. Shirou explained to them again their job one last time before jumping down the tower to rejoin Tiffania and the remaining children.

"Okay, there's no more going back after this. Is everyone ready?" He asked Tiffania and the other children. He needed to make sure if they were truly up to it because once they raid the houses they'll have to commit.

Using what their captives told them, the children were being housed in the house where Gaspar was and that was the main shelter of the West Wood Village. Why would he want to stay with his hostages you ask? Well since Gaspar is known to be a pedophile and most of his hostages are female children it's easy to put two and two together.

The group silently made their way to the main house at the center of the small village. They crept ever slowly that it took them five minutes to travel ten meters while keeping a close look at the tower where their sentry was and their surroundings. Thankfully the handkerchief never showed and they reached the house.

"What good luck these bandits might never have thought that we would come for them."

Shirou smiled. He didn't think that their skirmish would be this easy. He tried to open the door knob but it was locked. To that, he frowned.

"Well… it can't be all good can it?" He sighed. The quickest way would be to kick the door down but that would also waste all that effort of creeping inside the complex silently as every thug inside the orphanage would jump to their feet wielding swords and spears.

"Mister Shirou we have a secret entrance follow me." One of the children stepped up beside him.

"We have?" Tiffania asked. She never knew of all the entrances the children made in the houses.

"Me and Tessa sort of had to make secret doors to get some food at night." The boy snickered.

"So you're who took the missing milk and other snacks…" Tiffania said with a bit of disappointment in her voice.

"Tee-hee…" the boy scratched his head shyly.

"It is clearly not the time for this. Where's the secret entrance?" Shirou interrupted. He wanted their mission to be as silent and as careful as possible but also as quick as possible. The longer they stayed in the enemy's nest means the more chance they have of sounding an alarm.

The boy took them around the back of the house where there were crates stacked on each other.

"It's just behind these crates." Said the boy.

Shirou nodded and pushed the crates aside. They were surprisingly light because they had nothing inside them. Apparently they were there only to hide the loose wooden part of the wall that opens the secret entrance was only big enough for children to enter. Shirou and Tiffania will never be able to squeeze inside even if they took their clothes off.

"That's not good…" Tiffania sighed. She knew that letting a group of children in to handle tough and brutish bandits was like throwing crumbs of bread to a fish pond filled with hungry ducks.

"Indeed… but this is our only way in. Someone needs to go in and unlock the main door for us…" Said Shirou who was hesitant to assign someone for the job.

"I will." Said the same boy who led them to the secret entrance.

"No Eric it's too dangerous!" Scolded Tiffania.

"Big sister it's the only way! Besides I've been sneaking every night without waking a single one of you so I'm confident I can do this!" Eric said with full confidence.

"But…" Tiffania held her hands near her chest. She couldn't bear the thought of sending a lone child behind enemy lines.

"As much as I hate this… but he's right." Shirou sided with Eric's idea. He felt bitter inside because he felt helpless that he had to put that burden on a little boy.

"… O- Okay…" After a few seconds of convincing herself, Tiffania finally gave the thumbs up for the plan. Without delaying, Eric crawled in the small hole and the group scurried back to the front of the house where they expect the door to be unlocked.

Inside the house was very dark. The bandits left no torch or candle to light the place. Eric who knew the place very well had to be very careful not to wake anyone up as he zigzagged across the room only using his memory of the place as a guide. For a moment he thought about rescuing his brothers and sisters by himself while he was there but he couldn't even see where the beds were. He gave up on the idea immediately and hurried for the door where Shirou, Tiffania and the others were waiting.

It only took Eric about thirty seconds to open the door but for Shirou and Tiffania it seemed like hours. When the door swung open they expected a bandit holding a child in his arms while wielding a cutlass to appear and charge at them. Thankfully the silhouette of Eric gave them a sigh of relief as they take their first step inside the house.

The dim light of the moon and the stars lit the room enough for them to see who were inside. There were five beds in the room and on those beds were bandits. One for each bed. Two of them were disgustingly naked while the other three slept with their sweaty clothes on. Tiffania didn't know which disgusted her more. They crept inside slowly to look for the children until they reached a small junction. If they turn right the largest bed previously owned by Tiffania and Maria who slept together always should contain Gaspar and hopefully his captives. Indeed, they found someone on the bed but Tiffania groaned after seeing the face of the man. It wasn't Gaspar and the children were not in the house. Did the bandits they caught lie to them?

"This isn't…" Tiffania sighed with disappointment as she faced the truth that the missing children and Sebastian weren't there.

"They must have relocated them in another house?" One of the children with them asked.

"What do we do Mister Shirou?" Tiffania asked her familiar who was still calm even after the failure.

"It's too much if we have to search every house in the village. We will ask this one." Shirou pointed at the snoring bandit on the huge bed.

"E-Eh?" Tiffania gasped. She wondered what Shirou would do get information from the snoozing thug.

Using his iron pipe, Shirou grabbed the man's throat from behind and barred his throat with the pipe. The bandit choked as he woke up and tried to shout but he couldn't even breathe enough to yelp. Shirou dragged him to a corner of the bed where he was sure the bandit can't struggle free.

"We're looking for the children that you hold captive somewhere in here. Tell us where they are." Tiffania's familiar asked as he threatened to squeeze the man's throat tighter with the pipe.

"Krkkk! Nrt er…" The bandit struggled to say something but the pipe was blocking his air.

"Are they here?" Shirou followed a question as he loosened his grip on the man's throat to let him whisper.

"T-The boss took them to the hideout a few hours ago." Said the bandit who was holding unto the pipe in an attempt to pull it off his assailant.

"Damn it where is your hideout?" Shirou tried his best to sound intimidating without raising his voice. It was very hard since he himself was losing to his own anger. If not thanks to Rin's constant training and Saber's advice he'd be screaming on the top of his lungs right now while shaking the man by his collar like a woman on her period.

"N-North West from here in this forest Krkkk…"

The man struggled to give out directions as he continued to gasp for his breath inside Shirou's arms.

"If you walk far enough you'll see a ruined elven village. We turned it into our safe haven!" The thug grunted as he continued to gasp and breathe heavily.

"What does your boss plan with the children?" Shirou asked one last question after seeing Tiffania's worried expression. Although this might defeat the purpose of calming the elf it will also give them the idea of what they should do to save the children.

"T-They will be sold to a slaver by tomorrow afternoon! O-Of course the boss would also want to keep one or two for himself." The bandit answered.

"Thank you now please go back to sleep!" With a twist of his muscles, Shirou severed the blood sustaining the man's brain causing a temporary nerve failure and sent him sleeping. Shirou was already pretty familiar with such moves thanks to Arturia's training.

"What should we do mister Shirou?" Tiffania asked with worried and tearful eyes. Hearing that her orphans will be turned into slave urchins made her feel frantic.

"First thing's first: we need to get out of here." Shirou replied. Now that their objective there is gone the best thing to do is disappear from the vicinity as fast as possible. They would tiptoe across the room until they reach the door and go for their comrades on top of the tower before going outside the village using the opposite gate from where they entered. At least that's the plan.

For some reason it felt harder sneaking outside than inside. Probably because the point of being there was gone and most of them were in a hurry to leave the place. The floor creaked louder than before, every step felt like a loud thud and the door felt like it was kilometers away. Some of the children would yelp after hearing one of the thugs groan in his sleep and they would be chastised and silenced by their peers.

After a minute of utter carefulness they finally got outside. They immediately looked at the tower where two of the children were and saw nothing to be worried about. Shirou immediately called for the kids as he reached the bottom of the stairs that led up the frail wooden tower. Unbeknownst to them one of the hooligans is currently slapping himself awake thanks to fierce mosquitos lingering outside.

"Stupid mosquitos! These things are as fierce as those orphans!"

Grunted the thug as he tried to catch one of the flying buggers buzzing around his ears.

"Huh?"

Something caught his attention as he failed to send the mosquito to oblivion. He saw what looks like to be a man aiding a child in climbing off the tower stairs. He quickly recognized them to be intruders as they were clean unlike his rugged and grimy comrades.

"I-Intruders!" He shrieked. The bandit alarmed Shirou, Tiffania and the children as he stumbled to the main gate where a small bell rested.

"Oh shit!" Shirou watched in horror as he saw the man ring the bell. As experienced as he is, he still felt panic race through him as the sound of the bell rang through the village waking up every single lowlife inside with the exception of those he personally put to sleep.

The bandits looked drowsy and weary as they got off their beds and mats to face their intruders. Though most of them lazily went out of the houses, some of them were thrilled to face their enemies with their swords in their hands: these were the bandits that Shirou had to kick Spartan style away from the children.

The first thing his instinct told him to do was to flee through the backgate with the children. Unfortunately, his greatest fears manifested, three of the children froze on the spot as they heard the angry and terrifying pirate like roars of the bandits. Even worse, one of them panicked so much that he charged in headfirst into the bloodthirsty fray.

"God damn it!" Shirou pulled the boy backwards by his shirt and threw him to Tiffania. He leaped forward in front of the fear stricken children with his steel pipe.

The bandits paused their attack after seeing the man wave the pipe around brazenly. They all had a mocking grin on their faces before they erupted into laughter.

"A pipe? You're challenging a platoon of the strongest warriors with a pipe?" One of the bandits who was so full of himself mocked the red headed familiar. He laughed so hard that Shirou was sure that he would take himself out with laughter and faint.

"Tiffania get the kids out of here. I'll take these guys on." Shirou whispered to the elven girl beside him whose hands were on her lips.

"No! I'm going to stay and fight!"

Tiffania replied rebelliously.

"A friend of mine said the same thing and now I'm not even sure if he's alright or not!" Tiffania remembered the man who calls himself Sebastian. That young man stayed in order to save the remaining children and hasn't come back since.

"Tsk!" Shirou clicked his tongue as he faced three attackers in front of him.

So it begins fourteen bandits against Shirou, Tiffania and a few little children. Shirou's main concern is to avoid getting surrounded by the enemy and take them all on in front. If they get surrounded he wouldn't know how he would be able to protect Tiffania and all the others while fighting for his own life.

The first wave of three bandits was a cinch. Because of their own fault of underestimating the boy they were easily parried and repelled. This irritated them that they lunged blindly at their pipe wielding enemy.

Once again, to Shirou, the bandits were moving in slow motion. No, not super slow, just below an average man. Or rather, as Shirou's senses were trained beyond that of the best athlete but below a servant's, these thugs look sluggish. Shirou easily dodged the short sword coming at him vertically with a simple side step. Before the enemy went past him he made sure to deliver a crushing low kick that flipped the man over his head and landed with his face on the ground behind Shirou.

"Let's get him!" The children who saw the bandit fall in front of them took their reinforced kitchen utensils and started wailing on him. The poor thug cried in pain as lumps and bruises appeared throughout his body before a frying pan finally claimed his consciousness.

The other two remaining attackers in that first wave met an easier fate. One of them missed a thrust and was punished with a smashing hit to the face and broke his nose. He was unconscious before he could land on the ground. The other one was repelled by a sidekick to his waist only to charge again, miss, fall off-balance forward, and receive a blunt blow on the back of his head.

"You guys are scum! Come at me! Don't even think about laying your filthy hands on the children!" Shirou tried to provoke the others to aim at him and away from the children.

"Don't get ahead of yourself boy!" One of the thugs who looked stronger than the rest led the charge. This time all of the remaining eleven stampeded towards Shirou and the children.

"Ha!" Shouted a voice from behind Shirou. It was Tiffania who had her wand raised. A flash of light went past Shirou and the bandits. The gang of thugs were divided into two groups as an explosion forced them apart.

Shirou looked behind him with an astonished look.

"Was that magic?" Shirou asked. He knew of course that it was indeed magic. It's just that it's his first time seeing someone actually use a wand. He remembered Rin just throw gems or just make a 'gun' gesture with her fingers.

"Um…"

Tiffania nodded.

"I- I am a magician of the Void element." Said the elf.

Shirou who was new to that world did not understand the significance of what he just heard. However at the same time she said that, the new rune on Shirou's hand began to glow ominously. A hawk, which was supposed to be Sebastian's familiar, appeared and started pecking and scratching on the bandits.

"What the fu…! What is this?" One of the bandits cried as a big chunk of his flesh got ripped off by the hawk's unforgiving talons.

"I- Is this?" Shirou looked at his hand and noticed that a copy of the rune on his hand glowed on the head of the bird.

"Die you stupid bird!" One of the thugs who finally managed to get up took his Morningstar and attacked the hawk.

"Oh no, dodge it!" Shirou who saw the man aiming for the hawk cried as he prayed for the hawk to fly. To his surprise the hawk did as he imagined, almost as if it was following his commands. It dodged the attack and flew over their heads.

"I don't know what you did you bastards but don't think your pet chicken can help you!" A bandit stanced himself to attack.

"Wait they have a mage!" Another who was obviously worried about the magic that almost turned them into bits hesitated to attack.

"She will need time to use her incantations! We just need to attack them fast and relentless!" Replied the other bandit before screaming out another charge command.

"Damn it! Trace… On!" Shirou said out loud as he threw away the steel pipe. He didn't want to use this ability because he didn't want anything to lead to fatality. As much as possible, the justice he wanted to give the thugs was not death but repentance. However against eleven nasty men, even with the help of a beautiful busty mage and a hawk proved to be too much without his ability.

Two short swords appeared inside both of his hands. They were European short swords, the normal weaponry of the medeval ages. He thought about using his trademark weapons Kanshou and Bakuya but those two blades would almost mean death to anyone he accidentally stabs or slashes.

The bandits immediately paused after they saw the man conjure two killing weapons inside his hands. More than awed, they were afraid. Most of them denied it to themselves but they could feel that there's something different about the man in front of them compared to the boy that their boss massacred a few hours ago.

"H-How did he…?" One of the bandits began doubling back in fear.

"Don't run away you shameful rats! He's only one! So what if he took out two swords from his secret pockets? Haven't we seen better tricks?" The bandit who seemed to act as their current leader persuaded them to stand their ground.

"I do not wish to feed the rich soil of these parts with your blood. So please give up as soon as you feel like dying!" Shirou's attitude seemed to change as soon as he traced the swords. He charged in with an angry roar as he prepared to clash swords with his opponents.

Shirou's style was never elegant to begin with so his game plan was to beat them up until they're out cold or nearly dying. This is most seen in how he dealt with the first unfortunate bandit that met his blade. Without waiting for the thug to strike, Shirou swung down his sword aimed at the man's left collarbone. This prompted the man to defend himself with his small axe. Between the blades of a short sword and a small axe the bigger and sturdier axe usually prevails but to everyone's surprise the axe's blade broke into chunks of metal, like how cookies crumble. Without anything to defend him, his face met with Shirou's fist. The bandits behind were forced to dodge the body of their own member who was sent flying in one blow.

Undeterred by their comrades folly the bandits only paused for a moment then continued their attack. To them, it was only a matter of time before they wear the man down. When that happens they'll have more children to sell and one hot girl to molest.

This time his opponent is a rugged man with a huge five feet axe. The blade of the axe was three feet wide and at least ten centimeters thick. The man swung his axe horizontally at Shirou's face. Shirou tried to stop the axe with one sword but the heavy blade of that axe proved to be too much. His sword shattered and his body was sent spinning in position because of the force. After rotating three hundred and sixty degrees, everybody was surprised to see a new sword in his hand where his broken sword used to be. It's not like he switched the other sword from his left hand to his right hand, there was literally a new sword in his right. Furthermore this sword is not a short sword but a more refined Damascus Sword.

Shirou used his newly projected Damascus Sword to crush the center of the axe's blade. What was left of the axe was its wooden hold which too was cut by the short sword in Shirou's other hand. Unwilling to give up the man tried to tackle Shirou and dived to grab Shirou by his waist. He expected to land on the ground with the boy under him and he will be in a position for a ground and pound. What he did not expect is that the boy's body felt almost like steel. It was as if he dived unto a concrete wall. Needless to say, he ricocheted back which gave Shirou the opening to attack. The Damascus sword cut diagonally from the man's left waist to his right shoulder and sent him flying a meter back where the other bandits had their mouths dropped wide open.

"The feeling of cutting human flesh… I can never get used to it!" Shirou grunted. He had a sincere look of displeasure on his face. Even after fighting servants, church executioners and mages he still cringes every time he takes the blood of others it didn't matter if they were dead or alive.

"H- He's a devil run!" One of the bandits finally broke upon seeing a stronger comrade fall so easily in front of the red haired familiar.

"You idiot come back!" Their current leader tried to reach out for his fleeing member but it was too late. The scream of the man reached the ears of similar and weaker members who too dropped their blades and stumbled away running. In just an instant their number was reduced to seven.

"Naudiz Isaz Ehwaz"

An incantation echoed from behind Shirou. It was Tiffania who was already nearly finished with her spell.

"Hagalaz Yr Beorc" She continued to chant until the seven remaining bandits finally noticed her.

"W-what is she doing?" One bandit panicked as he saw the maiden's eyes closed as if she was heavily concentrating on a highly offensive spell.

"No matter! Aim for the children! That's their weakness!" Finally, their current leader figured out the best method of subduing Shirou and Tiffania: through the little elven children.

"Damn it you bastards!" Shirou cursed as the bandits dispersed to take attack the children from all sides.

"Nyd Is Algiz." Tiffania continued to chant despite the bandits' actions.

"Don't mind her! Go get a child!" Their leader ordered.

"I won't let you!" Shirou dashed for the bandit who was closest to an orphan then swung his sword diagonally upwards. The thug's right arm which was reaching for a girl's shoulder flew thirty meters above everybody and landed eight feet away on the ground. The man screamed in pain as he fell on the ground grasping his severed arm.

"Gotcha!" One of the hooligans managed to get pass Shirou who hasn't recovered from attacking one of them and reached out for Tiffania. The logic was simple really, he thought that if he could catch the mage, then he could stop her spell.

"Tiffania!" Shirou shouted to alert the elf of her attacker. The elf however was motionless as she was still busy with her spell. As a desperate effort to save the maiden, Shirou threw both of his swords at the bandit. His Damascus pierced the right side waist of the thug while his short sword pierced through the man's knee. The man fell on the dirt bleeding from his waist and leg and his cries filled the place.

"You fool! You left yourself defenseless!" The man who seemed to lead the bandits took the opportunity to blindside the weaponless Shirou.

The acting leader's weapon was a jeweled short saber. Its silver blade is said to repel creatures of the night while its hilt was almost golden. This weapon came from a wealthy noble who was unfortunate enough to pass along the way. Why is a simple member using such an exquisite weapon you ask? In a thieves' guild or a bandit's troupe there are still rules and regulations no matter how lawless they are. In this bandit's band a member can trade anything for anything to anyone including their leader. It just so happened that this one managed to kidnap a girl who suited the taste of the big boss of the gang and he traded her for the blade.

Between a thrust and a slash, a thrust is always harder to dodge simply because you can't always tell the exact distance between you and the enemy. If you dodge too soon then they can simply change the direction of their thrust and you will be off balanced to do anything. If you dodge too late then you'll have holes in your body and you'll start sprouting out jam. A thrust is what this bandit decided on.

It was a swift thrust aimed at Shirou's heart. Truly it would be a certain kill if it succeeds. The acting leader had both of his hands around the hilt of the saber. This way, he'll have more leverage and his weight will pin down the red head in case he's still alive. A few seconds ago, Shirou could have easily counter attacked with his dual swords but now that he's unarmed he only had few choices to choose from. The bandit knew these choices. He could either, dodge left, dodge right, bend his knees and dodge below and the worst of all is to leap back. The acting leader has anticipated all of those mentioned above and he had scenarios planned in his mind for each.

Shirou could see the blade near him. Halfway through, he did what the bandit did not think of. He raised his hand and blocked the saber with his palm. About three centimeters of the saber's tip passed through his flesh and 'THUNK' something rung. It was the sound of metal colliding against metal. Shirou had no protection around his palm and the blood rushing it is a testament of that but it is also apparent that the saber's tip has not penetrated his palm completely. In fact when the bandit pulled it out of Shirou's wound the tip was horribly bent as if something sturdier pounded it.

"W-What are you? Do you have metal inside your body?" The acting leader panicked as he saw Shirou shrug the wound off.

Shirou did not bother answering that question. Right now there were other members of that bandit band who are relentlessly going after Tiffania and the children. He needed to act as fast as possible.

"Huwarah!" Shouted Shirou. He projected Kanshou in his wounded hand and slashed at the chest of the bandit. The wound was deep enough to make the bearded thug fall on his butt but wasn't deep enough to make him unconscious or take his life.

"You're a demon!" The man on the floor shouted.

"Drop the sword!" Another bandit cried out. This one had a crying orphan girl inside his arms.

"You coward!" Grunted Shirou who had his sword fixated on the fallen bandit's neck.

"You heard him! Drop it or the girl dies!" The acting leader was happy to see one of his comrades succeed in taking a hostage. He was sure that he was about to pee his pants from Kanshou trailing his neck.

Shirou gritted his teeth in anger. He remembered some words said to him by someone before. Sacrifice one to save ten, ten to save hundreds, hundreds to save thousands and thousands to save hundred thousands. Will he need to make the painful choice of igniting the first link of that chain? He knew that if he dropped his sword now then the other children and Tiffania will suffer the consequences.

"Drop it or-…! Huh?" The bandit tried to shout again but a thin layer of mist began to appear that covered the entire area.

"Berkanan Man Laguz!" Tiffania uttered and shouted the final words of her spell.

The air around the bandits distorted. The thug holding the orphan released the girl as if he was in a trance then sent her off with her friends behind Tiffania and Shirou. It wasn't only him the other five remaining bandits had their mouths open as if their minds were forcefully taken away from their body. Only the acting leader who was lying on the ground was still conscious.

"W-What's going on? What did you do to them?" The acting leader shouted at Tiffania who walked close to Shirou and the fallen thug.

"This is the spell I usually use to erase the memories of travelers who lose their way in the forest and accidentally come across our village. With proper usage I can also use it like this."

Tiffania explained.

"I guess the reason why Mr. Bandit still has his consciousness is because of the pain caused by the wound on his chest which is making it harder for my spell to take control." Tiffania pointed at the horizontal slash on the man which stretched from his left armpit to his right bottom ribs.

"Hwoah… you saved us Big Sister!" One of the children hugged Tiffania by the waist from behind. He was trembling in relief.

Shirou smiled and eased his grip around his Kanshou. He felt relieved that he didn't have to sacrifice the life of an innocent girl to save the many.

"You will take us to your hide out…" Shirou pressed the sharp edge of the Kanshou on the acting leader's neck. He whined and yelped in fear as Shirou knelt down to interrogate him closer.

"Please let me do this Mr. Shirou. I always hesitated to use my magic but to save the children, I will have Mr. Bandit here lend me his mind and body temporarily."

Tiffania knelt and raised her wand at the bandit. She started chanting the same chant she used before with the tip of her wand concentrated on the man's forehead.

"Because I'm using it on a single person. The effects of this spell might be stronger. Please don't die Mr. Bandit." She said before she continued the chant.

"N-N-Noooooooooo!" The bandit shrieked as his body started to get numb the image of the girl started to fade from his mind.

Five hours later, in the same village, Bazett who was still wearing her red mask and cape, and the old man have arrived to witness the scene of carnage. Five men were drooling unconscious on the ground. Now that it's daytime it's apparent that burnt wood were scattered everywhere and the confetti, banner papers and other party making items were flying around. It was obvious that the village was purposely engulfed in flames not too long ago and the most worrying part of the scene is the blood splattered on some parts of the ground. Even some of the unconscious thugs had shallow wounds on them.

"T-Those are…" The old man immediately recognized the men. Some of them were a part of the party that ambushed them two days ago.

"They are the lowlife bandits you speak of, correct?" Bazett went near the man and knelt on one knee to check on his condition.

"W-Where is my son?"

The man panicked and frantically tried to look for his son Sebastian amongst the fallen men. He turned them over, kicked them off and even tried shouting at one to find his son.

"Where are the children? Where's my son? Where have you taken them you sons of bitches!" He angrily screamed at one ruffian whose collar he had his hands on. That thug had his eyes wide opened while seemingly asleep. He almost looked as if he was dead.

"Calm down old man I think these men are in some sort of spell."

Bazett tapped the old man by his shoulders and took her turn to examine the bandit.

"Yes. I'm sure now. This is an enchantment. He's still alive and breathing. Whatever magic that was casted took the control of his brain away from him." Bazett concluded as she let go of the man and left him to fall on the ground.

"I- I know! This must be the work of my son! He was practicing magic. That son of mine… He always wanted to be an outstanding mage." The old man smiled and grinned. He looked sure that it was his son that caused these men to be in the way they are but in truth he was just convincing himself that Sebastian was still alright, that he beat his attackers with magic.

Bazett looked at the old man by the side of her eye. She knew that the old man could not afford to send his son to a good magical academy and that his son had only trained for a short time, not enough to be able to use of a spell of that caliber. She allowed the man to keep this way of thinking if only to calm him down.

"Mmm! Mmf! Mmm!" Muffled groans could be heard from the top of what seemed to be a small tower. Bazett took notice of it immediately and climbed the tower. There, she saw a man bound by rope and gagged.

"Have you found anything?" The old man asked from below the tower.

"There's another one here! He's still conscious." Bazett replied before taking the man by his collar and jumped down with him without using the fragile stairs. She threw the man on the ground where he whimpered and squirmed.

"This is good. Maybe we can ask him where the children are." The old man hurried to remove the scarf that was restraining the man from speaking. Upon having his gag removed the thug took a deep breath and gasped.

"You cowards! Untie me this instant or I swear I will have my brothers take your heads!" The bandit threatened the two as if he did not notice the unconscious bodies of his 'brothers'.

"Is that right?"

Bazett approached the man and knelt down on one knee to talk to him.

"Maybe I want to meet these 'brothers' of yours. Are they with the children you kidnapped?" She asked as she leaned over to hear the man better.

"J-Just who do you think you are? Hiding yourself behind that mask! Untie me and show your face! Then we'll see just how brave you are!" The bandit tried to provoke Bazett over and over.

"Oh? Are you saying that if I win then you'd tell me everything?" Bazett smiled a bit. She found the idea quite interesting.

"M-Miss don't do anything careless now. You may be Miss Archerko's body guard but these are blood thirsty killers!" The old man warned Bazett.

"I'll keep that in mind." The enforcer nodded before untying the captive man. Almost immediately the man cartwheeled away and back-flipped before picking up a saber on the ground.

"You're going to regret it now!" The man seemed to stretch and limber up as if to awaken his sleeping muscles which were numb from being tied up for so long.

"I'm impressed. You seemed like the lazy type." Bazett touched her wrist as if she was fixing her glove.

"Hah! In our band I'm considered as one of the fastest! Now I'll show you how we bandits instill fear on our victims!"

This man felt the wind on his face as he charged towards the enforcer. His aim was to slice the soft spots a cut above the back of her feet. That way she'd lose control of them and fall of balance. Then from there he'd torture her and humiliate her before killing her. He was pretty confident about his speed and agility; halfway through his charge he began ducking low to maneuver himself beneath and behind the enforcer. With his speed the masked girl seemed unmoving, or so he thought. She did seem unmoving simply because she wasn't moving. As he reached behind his target he found her looking at her sideways as if she allowed him reach that position.

"You…" The man took another huge leap sideways to repeat his maneuver. He did not bother to look at her this time for he knew how many steps it'd take to get behind her. When he finally got to his target point he prepared use his saber but to his surprise Bazett was already facing him. It was almost like she was already standing like that before he even made his move.

"I'm sorry but I have faced more impressive cunning tactics before." Said the enforcer. She casually reached out for the man's forehead. The bandit did not move as Bazett's glove touched his skin. No, he couldn't move, for at that time he was completely engulfed in Bazett's fighting pressure. In every fight, fighters emit energies that intimidate their opponents consciously or unconsciously. Some people refer to this as aura, chi, martial energy or even spiritual pressure. However despite the many names, this is simply the combination of talent and experiences in battle. For those who are especially experienced, this manifests into an unexplainable energy that can affect the will of their foes.

Bazett grasped the man by his forehead. She was gentle but also merciless. She applied enough pressure to cause the man severe headaches but not enough to crush his skull. The man screamed in terror as he felt his brain melt by the sheer power of the enemy before him. It was only a matter of three seconds before he fell face first on the ground unconscious.

"Oh damn… I forgot that we had to question him." Bazett gasped as she noticed that the man was no longer conscious at the tip of her boots.

"M-Miss behind you!" The old man shouted.

Like a butterfly mistakenly landing in a Venus Fly Trap, the blade of a short sword wielded by another bandit was caught inside the skillful fingers of the enforcer. She caught the blade between her middle finger and point finger while her hand was still half closed.

"I-Impossible!" Said this other bandit. This bandit was the man who was interrogated by a certain read haired familiar. He was put to sleep with a choke and just woke up to this fight. Using his comrade as bait, he planned on backstabbing the masked person and take the glory for himself. Unfortunately, right now he's facing someone he thinks of as a demon who just caught his swing so easily.

"Another one… I hope you'll be more cooperative." Said Bazett as she pulled the blade down. The bandit let go his sword as soon as he was convinced that he was not even worth the dirt under her feet.

"I- I concede." Said the bandit with a crest fallen face. He was utterly humiliated but still he was thankful that he had a choice to give up. He knew that further resistance would only lead to pain if not death.

"Where are the children? You are going to take us to them." Bazett said with authority as she lifted the man up to his feet.

It was an hour ago when a blue haired girl and a blue haired man were tasked to join together to scout the land of what probably will be a battle zone. These people are no other than Tabitha and Chuchulain of the Lancer class. Though Lancer is not a familiar of Tabitha, as the chevalier had her own familiar dragon, Bazett had ordered him to look after the blue haired nymphet. Using Sylphid , Tabitha's blue dragon, they flew together to scout the terrain and the road to their group's destination.

It hasn't been thirty minutes since they departed and they have yet to see anything peculiar. They focused on the road of dirt that branched throughout the forests. They had to find the best path to their destination and Tabitha was there to look for it. There were very little road signs and since it's really early in the morning they could see very few people traveling.

"It looks clear." Lancer gave his input while using his servant eyes that could magnify his vision to the point that he could see someone's nipples from a kilometer away.

"Um…" Tabitha was as silent as usual and just nodded. She had ordered her dragon to pass them by certain areas which looked suspicious. There essentially were three points she wanted to check: the waterfalls near east, a camp filled with carts and carriages on the center of the way north and a huge tree located at the west.

"Seriously why can't I go with Archerko in that party…"

Lancer sighed. He could imagine Archerko dancing for the children and guests in the birthday party she was invited to. He would give anything to see that.

"N-Not that I dislike being with you Tabitha, I mean you're cute and all but Archerko is…"

Lancer apologized and tried to have a casual talk with Tabitha. He stopped talking after he noticed Tabitha's unchanging expression.

"You know you need to talk more. You're cute when silent and all but sometimes people just want to see you smile."

Lancer sighed. Then, he suddenly got a smirk on his face while he sheepishly wrapped his hands around the blue mage's waist.

"I'll get you to react, one way or another."

Lancer said this in a flirtatious tone. Tabitha still had her unchanging expression on her face as Lancer groped her waist and steadily creeping up near her chest.

"Let's see what little Tabitha has in… wait…"

Lancer reached 'that' sensitive part of the girl's small body. As a result, for the first time ever, the blue haired mage gave out a soft yelp.

"There's nothing in here… are you wearing some sort of corset or ah!"

As soon as Lancer made that rude comment towards the flat chested mage he found himself hanging on the dragon's foot while the dragon continuously tried to shake him off. Tabitha's face was a little red as she paid no attention to her passenger who was on the verge of doom.

"Ah! Y-You're seriously after my life you stupid dragon! Tabitha tell this guy to let me on!" Lancer requested of the ice mage as he squirmed with his legs as he hanged on for dear life.

"Let him on." Tabitha caressed the dragon's back after she gave the command. Sylphid stopped shaking the blue haired man off her and started flying steadily enough for him to climb on. Lancer was gasping hard and out of breath when he got on. He had a terrified look on his face, the same look he had when Hercules the Berserker used him as 'Blue Lancer' the anti-Archer weapon.

"Geez you're one protective dragon aren't you?" Lancer scratched the back of his head lazily. He was feeling a little resentful about it but it was his fault anyway.

Taking the incident aside they carried on with their mission. The point on the plane they now wanted to check was the ominous tree in the west. It's not too far from the fastest and safest route to their group's destination so Tabitha had placed that place in her priorities.

The tree looked incredible. It was huge, bigger than the other trees in the area. It stood magnificently amongst the other trees and plants. Normally one would be astounded of its glory and sing praises of its might but no matter how impressive it was, something felt off about the tree. Tabitha and Lancer frowned at the purple mist surrounding the tree. The mist extended to that road that they planned on taking and they were worried about it.

"That mist is not normal. I can sense something evil from it." Chuchulain clicked his tongue. In his previous life, no not his life as a servant, but rather his life as a demi-god, he had encountered different varieties of poison and the mist exhibited some similar traits of those he encountered.

Tabitha had the dragon fly around it while being careful not to come near the ominous mist.

"Tabitha there's a house on top of that hill. Maybe we can ask the residents there about the tree." Lancer pointed at a shack on top of a small hill a kilometer away east from the tree. Tabitha nodded and had Sylphid fly them there.

Upon reaching the hill, it became clearer that the shack wasn't really a shack but a descent sized house. It even had two stories but something about it made it look like a shack. It was worn down and looked really old. The door was closed yet it was tilted adjacently that if you're tall enough you can peep through the big crack. The windows were in fine condition but they were so dusty that it's opaque. The walls were almost rotten that if you punctured it you'd probably find a fat and juicy worm living inside them.

"Excuse me is anybody home?" Lancer knocked for Tabitha. Taking Tabitha's attitude to consideration he felt that he had to take charge.

It took approximately thirty seconds and Lancer almost gave up after calling four times before an old woman opened the door for them. The old man looked as if she was in her seventies, she had her white hair tied in a knot and her back was curved to the point that her body was disfigured. She wore big glasses that tells anyone that met her that she was nearly going blind.

"E-Excuse me ma'am but, we're travelers and we just want to ask, what's the story with that tree?" Lancer asked the old lady. He felt awkward because being surrounded mostly by beautiful girls have taken away his ability to socialize with other women, including old women.

"Ah? That tree you ask?"

The old woman turned her head to the tree nearly a kilometer away from them. It was so big that it was still clearly visible from there including the mist that it was generating.

"Why would you inquire of such a silly thing?" The old woman asked with a disgusted sounding voice. It was as if she was scolding stubborn children.

"W-well, we were thinking of traveling to the capital of Albion but we were worried about that mist so we wondered if you could tell something about it." Lancer replied. He tried his best to sound polite despite the rude impression the old woman gave him.

"Is that right?"

The old woman placed her old and wrinkled hands on her chin. She looked at Lancer then turned to Tabitha.

"Isn't she a little too young?" Said the old woman.

"A little too young?" Lancer was confused. He did not know on what the old woman was talking about.

"Aren't you a bunch of elopers who want to try their luck in the capital? Kids these days." The old woman sneered and clicked her tongue with utter disappointment in her voice.

"W-We're not like that."

Lancer immediately denied the accusation.

"We're only a part of our group. We came here to check ahead." Lancer explained. He was careful not to say any unnecessary information that would put their mission in danger.

"A group you say?"

Once again the old woman turned to Tabitha and placed her hand on her chin.

"Shameful of you to put such a fine young lady into such humiliation. You would do her in a group? For shame!" The old lady gave a disgusted gasp and jeered the former demi-god.

"N-Now listen here you old witch!"

Lancer snarled but the blue haired mage suddenly stepped forward.

"We are here on an expedition for the capital to bring urgent news to his majesty. Please answer our inquiry." Tabitha said in such a formal manner that it melted the ears of the Blue Haired Servant.

"Oh… the noble tongue, someone of noble lineage? Has someone finally come to save this part of this poor country?"

The old woman sighed in relief before smiling.

"Then why didn't you say so? Come in let's have tea." The granny allowed the two in and offered them a seat on the dusty sofa before heading to the kitchen to make tea.

"So you talk from time to time too…" Lancer smiled at Tabitha who didn't return the favor. That did not stop Lancer from putting his hand on the girl's head and patting it like he would a cute puppy.

It only took a couple of minutes before the granny returned with a tray of tea and bread on her hands. Her hands were shaking terribly while she made her way to the two.

"Ah, please let me help you with that granny." Lancer stood up and offered his help.

"Don't try to sweet talk me you perverted pedophile!" Shouted the old woman.

"_This old fart…_" Lancer groaned to himself as he kept his anger contained.

"Now my dear, you wanted to inquire about that tree?" The old lady asked as she served the tea to her visitors.

Tabitha nodded as she took a zip from a cup of tea. Lancer did not dare utter a word for he was worried that he would trigger the grannie to make another false comment.

"To tell you truth that tree appeared just recently, just three months ago." The old lady started.

"Three months ago? But it's already that huge!" Lancer couldn't help himself but to be surprised. Trees don't grow that fast and that big in over just three months. He thought that it would be something ancient.

"Uhmhm. The locals said that they saw a man in green enter the forest before that tree suddenly appeared. At first they were greatly amused but the tree started releasing that vile purple mist." The grannie looked beyond the window as if she was reminiscing.

"So it is poisonous…" Lancer groaned to have his worries proven. He would have preferred it if the old lady said that it was safe.

"That part of the forest used to be filled with life but now look at it. Only plants grow there and no more people nor animals dare go in. Those who take in a certain amount of that mist just pass out. In only a matter of hours their health falters and it wouldn't take them a day to die." The granny continued to share her stories of the tree. She shared the experiences and rumors she has heard about people affected by the mist.

"Granny you said 'a certain amount', does that mean we don't get affected immediately?" Lancer asked. Tabitha looked like it was the same question she wanted to ask the old lady too.

"You have brains after all. Yes, after inhaling the mist continuously for a few minutes you will begin to feel nauseated. That's your cue to leave, or you will find yourself unconscious if not dead." The old lady warned.

"That's troubling…" Lancer had his arms crossed. This matter is a serious one. They only had a week at most to finish their mission and this was the fastest route. If they did not want war to break out they will have to find a way to bypass the tree or deal with it.

"If only someone could destroy that huge abomination for us…"

The old lady sighed.

"Because of that tree, people from the capital have stopped coming so the villages nearby are suffering because they're not getting rations and other help from the capital. It would do us good to have that tree disappear…" The old lady looked very sad as she said this. It was as if she lost someone in that mist that her hatred for the tree was unbearable.

"I see… Tabitha let's go we have the information we need. Thanks a lot granny!" Lancer waved and bowed before taking Tabitha outside who too bowed respectfully to the old lady who helped them.

Outside the house, the granny saw them off as they got on Sylphid and headed towards the tree. The old lady asked them to be careful but Lancer replied that she shouldn't worry about them.

"Tabitha can you hover us steadily above that tree from a safe vertical distance?" Lancer asked the ice mage. He had a confident look on his face, it was obvious that this blue Lancer had a plan.

Tabitha nodded and had Sylphid do exactly that. The dragon hovered a safe distance away from the tree, far enough from the mist but near enough for Lancer's taste.

"I was planning this from the beginning but I was a bit worried. But now I'm sure."

Lancer raised his hand and inside it a red spear appeared. A spear so red that it looked like solidified blood manifested in steel. Like how most athletes throw their javelins, he raised it and pulled it back while aiming at the roots of the tree.

"Now, flying spear of d-…!"

Before Lancer could say his noble phantasm's move two arrows swiftly rocketed towards him. Using his spear, he blocked knocked the arrows away.

"Who in the world?" Lancer checked to see who was capable of firing arrows at him from such a distance. To his surprise, someone standing on a branch of that tree was an archer wearing green tights. That archer had his bow aimed at him and had a smirk on his face almost as if he was taunting Lancer to come to him.

"I guess he's the man dressed in green who grew this tree…" Said Lancer as he prepared to battle the archer. He was calculating his chances. He was not sure if that man was a normal man or someone close to his caliber. Whatever the case, that archer seemed to be immune to the mist and it's all too apparent that Lancer wasn't. He'd be diving into a pool of crocodiles if he decided to fight on that man's level.

Before Lancer could make a decision the Archer fired another arrow at him. This time it was aimed at the dragon Sylphid. Tabitha had the dragon evade the attack while Lancer jumped to catch the arrow. The falling Lancer was caught by Sylphid before he could get near the mist.

"As I thought… this arrow is made of Yew… and that's the Yew tree… Yew Arrow… Yew Tree… Dressed in Green… Forest… The only thing missing is to name this place Sherwood Forest. You're him aren't you? Robin Hood?" Lancer shouted the name of his enemy before preparing a fighting stance on Sylphid's back.

Let's move three hours forward in time, when the enforcer Bazett and the old man were finally close on the trail of the bandit's hideout. In front of them was their captive, leading the way to the place. Bazett did not bother tying him up because he was already restrained by the fear of her. This middle aged bandit knew that if he tried to escape he'd be caught in no time and his life will certainly hang in the balance.

"We should pick up the pace. You said that the bandit boss is planning on selling some of the children right?" Bazett patted the bandit's shoulder from behind.

"Y-yes I'm sorry!" Almost as if it was the king that commanded him, he immediately hastened his pace of walking while buckets of sweat trailed his face.

"This hideout of yours… what is it like? Do you keep your prisoners tide up like dogs? You scums! I lost my daughter years ago to people like you! I'm happy to know that my son beat the hell out of you guys!" The old man asked while trying to keep up with Bazett and their prisoner.

"Your son?" The bandit had a confused look on his face as if he heard the silliest thing ever.

"Yeah! He's the one who knocked all you pathetic failures in that village! I bet he's the one who choked you out!" The old man sneered as he mocked the bandit.

"Heh, your boy was-…!" Before the captive could tell the man the truth he was nudged hard by Bazett on the back.

"Keep walking." Commanded Bazett.

That simple nudge easily put the prisoner in his place. It was as if Bazett frankly told him 'to shut up or die' about the topic. For now he'll just have to put up with the old man's provocations. Although he could hardly believe that this was the same old man that scolded his son Sebastian a few days ago for being too hot headed.

It didn't take too long and they were greeted by an unusual scene. In a clearing an hour away from the village, was a small camp. They could tell because of the blankets and other things that were there. The camp looked deserted but the burnt wood on the ground which probably served as the campfire told Bazett that it was extinguished not too long ago.

"People were here recently." Said Bazett as she went ahead to check the camp for anything useful.

"T-That's impossible, the boss left long before we went to sleep." The thug replied. It's estimated to be about 12 hours since their boss left and it's impossible that it would be them who left that camp which was vacated just about an hour ago.

"Whoever were here they have not gone far. If I'm correct, if we hurry now we might catch up to them if they're heading the same direction." Bazett gave the bandit another nudge. This was the signal for him to continue on and hasten his pace.

The bandit wasted no time. It was easy leading the way because the bushes on the roads have already been cleared as if someone meant to have them removed earlier. Bazett easily kept up with the captive but the old man was trailing a few meters away from them. The enforcer made sure to leave twigs and even left indications on some of the trees to make sure that the old man followed. These signs will also be Archerko's guide if in case she followed them.

"The forest here is getting thicker! Are you sure he's not leading us to the wrong direction?" The oldman was skeptical about the bandit leading them.

"Bandit hideouts, murderer secret houses or thieves' guilds are usually hidden aren't they? I am not surprised. Also, if this man knows what's good for him, he wouldn't dare lead us to a trap." Bazett said this with a little murderous intent which made the thug beside him take a gulp of saliva down his throat.

"I- I assure you we're going the right way." The bandit did his best to convince the two.

Thirty minutes later they arrived in a small clearing. The clearing was filled with fallen leaves that covered the ground entirely.

"We're almost there; this was usually easy with mules and horses." The bandit panted as he tried to catch his breath while leaning down.

"Get back." Whispered Bazett.

"Huh?" The bandit wondered. He just received command from his captor to get back.

"Get back if you don't want to die." Ordered Bazett again. This time the bandit did as he was told and took five steps back.

From behind the bushes just ahead of them something brown and big leapt towards them. It had huge fangs and its entire body was covered in fur. It was a brown grizzly bear charging at them with its claws and teeth bared at them. Bazett was surprised not because it was a bear but because of what it had that made it different, a pink rune on its forehead. The enforcer placed her right palm on the bear's head and stopped it from its charge. As a result of their collision the ground beneath Bazett slid back until it rose to look like a small hump in the forest.

"I-It's a monster bear!" Cried the bandit, as if they couldn't already tell.

"Bears… humans… they will all perish when I rip their heart out!" Using her free hand, she made a fist with it and had one rune on her glove increase her strength. The punch was so strong that it created a shockwave that passed the bear and swept even the leaves behind it to fly over them.

Despite the power of the punch the bear only slid back and tumbled once before getting back up poised to strike.

"You clearly are not a normal bear are you?" Said Bazett. From the tone of her voice, it was clear that she was a little happy to be presented such a challenge after the pathetic fights she had awhile ago. It was obvious to her that she would need to get a little serious against this animal if she wanted to leave with the old man and her captive alive.

Just as she was getting ready to focus on the bear, an angry snarl echoed from the top of the trees. A black cat like creature that was very similar to a leopard pounced at Bazett from the top of a fifteen feet tall tree. It sank its teeth in Bazett's arms but the enforcer was quick enough to knock it away with a back fist before it could do some real damage.

The enforcer, as her usual self, took the initiative to attack even after getting slightly bitten. She used one foot to launch herself at the bear immediately closing their gap. She already had her right fist charge up ready to fertilize the soil there with the bear's bloody vomit.

Just before her punch connected. Something flew beside her that made her immediately leap back and dodge. They were two shortswords that flew from behind the bushes aimed at her. From that same bush, a man fully clothed in leather armor and leather helmet appeared with a long sword in his hand. He was confidently shouting while sprinting at Bazett.

Bazett met that man with the same amount of confidence and leapt forward. When the man swung his blade at her she feinted sideways and knocked the blade off course with a tap of the back of her fist. Then she countered with a palm thrust straight at his heart. The man used his remaining blade's side to cover his chest and protect himself from the thrust. The sound of vibrating steel echoed throughout the forest as the man was knocked back three meters away from the enforcer.

"She blocked that guy's blade with her fist and that guy blocked her fist with his blade. This is amazing!" Said the bandit who couldn't help but be amazed at what he sees. He has never seen such high level fights before inside the bandit guild.

"Sometimes I wonder if she's really just a bodyguard." The old man said.

Both the fighters did not bother waiting for each other, as if they were in a time limit, both of them charged again both aiming to end the fight early. The man threw one of his blades straight at Bazett to pierce her chest. It wasn't a bad throw and the aim was dead on but for the enforcer it was easy to make a simple sidestep and avoid the attack. Using the same momentum, she spun around and prepared a fist aimed at crushing the enemy's intestines. She imbued her glove with the power of a rune to increase penetration for she anticipated that the man will use his remaining blade to block again.

The enforcer's predictions are usually on the spot, but this time she was far off from the truth. Instead of blocking, the man accepted her fist willingly to strike his abdomen and wrapped his hands around her arm before her punch could dig in deeper. A shockwave erupted behind the man from the force of this encounter but the man was still standing. There were some blood coming out from his stomach but it was nothing more than flesh wound.

What came next was out of Bazett's realm of expectations. The black jaguar that attacked her reappeared holding the sword the boy threw between its teeth. Almost as if it was a part of the man's body, it precisely sliced through Bazett's upper leg. The cut was no more than four inches long but the blade did go through her leg which meant a tissue was cleanly severed.

Bazett, however, was a trained soldier. Cuts of the sort were already a part of her training. Even if her limbs were removed or her internal organs were jumbled she would still be able to fight on until the last breath escapes her lungs. A simple cut like this only slowed her down but not stop her. Before the jaguar and the man could do anything more she pushed forward and struck the man's bleeding abdomen with an elbow crash. This sent the man flying, yet still the man managed to get up immediately while Bazett leaped back to tend to her wound.

"Is this man your comrade? He's awfully good!" The old man asked the bandit beside him.

"N-No I don't recognize him at all." The bandit replied. If it was one of their comrades he was confident that he'd be able to immediately tell.

Just as it seemed that they were in a stalemate. The man uttered two words that changed the flow of battle.

"Trace… On!" A huge long sword appeared inside the man's hands after it shined a few seconds of golden light.

"T-This is!" Bazett gasped as she recognized that form of magic. She is all too aware of it for she has seen it countless of times in her own world and in this world. The power that surpasses Gradation Air: tracing. As the sword was made not by Gradation Air but by tracing the enforcer knew that the sword was not a normal sword. She immediately had her runic defenses up as the man prepared to attack.

The man roared valiantly as he charged towards The Answerer. His vertical swing was met by Bazett's runic barriers on her gloves. She was literally blocking a blade's edge with both of her fists coated by an invisible magical barrier.

"This is my win Slaver-san!"

The man spoke for the first time in this battle. He continued to Push Bazett forward who kept defending with her rune barrier.

"Do it now! Tiffania!" Shouted Shirou.

Immediately after Shirou screamed, an elven girl appeared from the bushes with her wand held high. Apparently she was preparing the same void spell she used against the bandits to use against the person they thought to be a slaver. It was unfortunate but the old man was too far back for her to notice for if she did then this battle would never have happened. But it was too late, she has casted the void spell that altered, changed and control memories to the extent of mind control. The air around Shirou, Bazett, the bandit and the old man distorted.

Those who had weak will immediately drooled and fainted. Shirou who was never a target of the spell to begin with was fine but Bazett who was considered as an enemy showed signs of fatigue as her brain battled with Tiffania's spell.

"S-So this is the spell that…" Bazett ended the clash with Shirou's blade and leapt back while clutching her head. She could literally feel Tiffania enter her mind. She grunted and shouted in pain as she started losing control of herself. Everything was beginning to get dark until another voice echoed throughout the forest.

"Dispel!" Shouted the new comer. The voice was coming from above.

A pink flash of ray seemed to crash to the ground from the sky and formed waves and ripples as it met the forest floor. Bazett felt freed and her mind went clear as the pink light eradicated the distortions in the air. The mist from Tiffania's spell was also vanquished and the forest looked clear once more.

From the sky, two masked girls could be seen floating, no, riding a floating sword. One of them had pink hair and held a wand while another one who was carrying the pink haired girl had silver hair while wearing a cabby hat. Both of them wore similar luxurious outfits as Bazett minus the cape. Shirou and Tiffania had their mouths wide opened as they felt a new kind of pressure fill their bodies.

The floating broad sword which the silver-haired stood on while holding the pink-haired like a princess started to fall down directly on Shirou. The red-haired familiar leaped back to avoid getting pinned to the ground by the blade of the giant sword. The leaves on the forest floor were all scattered as a blast of wind erupted in waves from the point where the sword landed. After the leaves have fallen and everything was clear Shirou found the silver haired girl standing on the hilt of that sword while the pink haired girl rushed to the enforcer's side.

"You guys finally arrived." Said Bazett as she laid her head on Louise's lap.

"Are you okay? We're sorry it was very hard to find you in this thick wilderness, even if we were searching from above." Louise apologized. She was sincerely worried about Bazett who looked like she was about to faint.

"B-Be careful… they're not normal… they're strong…" those were the last words Bazett uttered before she succumbed to fatigue due to the power of the void spell earlier. She won against Tiffania's control but in doing so she was over-exhausted mentally and fainted on Louise's lap as a result.

"Nobody can beat me when I'm with Archerko. Please leave it to us." Louise assured the enforcer before Bazett slept. Louise laid Bazett's sleeping body on a pile of leaves before standing beside Archerko who jumped from the hilt of the sword to face the man and the blonde elf.

"Two on two? You're lacking a thousand more…" Archerko said these words cockily as she drew a sword from a sheath she took with her from the place she was staying. It was no other than her current favorite sword, Derflinger. Archerko's rune on her left hand began glowing a bright shade of blue the moment she held Derflinger with the intent to do battle.

"Let's do this aibo!" Derflinger said, he seemed very fired up for his first battle after weeks of rest.

"Get back Tiffania, this one's stronger than that other one," Shirou ordered the elf to move back further as he raised his runed hand which too started glowing along with the runes on the animals' foreheads which he had in control.

Archerko versus Shirou. The silver haired familiar was smiling as she met the red haired familiar's frown. Because Archerko wore an opera mask and Shirou wore a leather helmet that covered the entirety of his face, each knew of each other but each did not know they were fighting the other. Beside them were void magicians who knew different kinds of spells. Each of them owned a rune imbued to them by that world for simply being the familiar of their masters. One has the ability use all weapons with the highest proficiency while the other had utter dominance over all animals.

The leaves on the forest floor scattered once more as both the familiars dashed for each other while shouting. The jaguar and the bear aided Shirou and tried to receive Archerko but the girl just zigzagged her way past them. Without the animals to stand between them their blades clash for the first time, and that clash had a clear winner. Shirou's traced long sword immediately shattered upon contact with Derflinger which had the ability to counter most if not all magic. Shirou was stunned about this but he did not allow himself to show it and leapt back immediately to grab his short sword which was lying on the forest floor.

Archerko followed Shirou as he got up with his sword. She poised herself to stab his shoulder with Derflinger as he rose up but something got in her way. The hawk Sebastian previously owned entered the battle and dove for Archerko's face. It would have gotten her mask if she didn't dodge it and that would have ended the battle right there. But fortune would have it that she sensed the bird of prey coming and leapt back before it could strike.

Seeing the girl go on the defensive Shirou took his short sword and leaped at the counter-counter-guardian. Archerko easily blocked a jumping vertical strike from Shirou. But this time Shirou's blade did not shatter. The sword he was using was one of the swords he took from the bandits in the village. As it was not magical, Derflinger had no authority to crush it. That clash echoed ripples in the forest for it signaled the true start of their battle. Both of them pushed at each other and were forced to slide back beside their respective masters. Who will dominate as the Silver meets the Crimson Red?

At that same time blue and green were also at war as the blue Lancer prepares to have his spear go through the green Archer. That crimson spear he held truly was a weapon graced to kill, but everything, every class may it be Saber or Archer, Caster or Berserker, Assassin or Lancer, everyone is humbled by the Faceless King.

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><p>AN: andddddd that's it for this chapter<p>

And also as mentioned in the review section here is Archerko's Servant status sheet

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><p>Archerko<p>

Strength D

Endurence C

Agility B

Mana A+

Luck D

Noble Phantasm A++


End file.
